FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Cuba

Jim Devine: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the state of UK-Cuba relations; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: UK-Cuba relations continue to improve. Our policy, based on mutual respect, aims to encourage a move to a pluralist democracy and full respect for human rights. These are objectives we share with our EU partners.

Chevening Scholarships

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Chevening scholarships have been awarded to Tibetans in the last 10 years.

Caroline Flint: Four Chevening scholarships have been awarded to ethnic Tibetans applying in China in the last 10 years; two in 2004-05, and one each in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Israeli Settlements

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the expropriation of 23 square miles of Palestinian land to the east of Jerusalem to build homes for settlers.

Bill Rammell: We have long made it clear to the Israeli Government that any Israeli settlement activity is not only illegal under international law, it is also in contravention of Israel's obligations under the road map and detrimental to the peace process. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary voiced strong opposition to illegal Israeli settlements during his visit to the region on 16-19 November 2008. I also raised the issue during my visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian territories on 21-23 December 2008.

Zimbabwe

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of recent political developments in Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of political developments in Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The continuing political impasse is a direct result of Robert Mugabe's abuse of power. We believe that power sharing can work but that Mr. Mugabe is an obstacle to it. My right hon. Friends the Prime Minster and the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend Lord Malloch-Brown have been clear on this point. But ultimately it is for Zimbabweans, not the UK, to decide what can constitute a durable and sustainable government in Zimbabwe. We will continue with our intense diplomatic activity and our humanitarian commitment continues.

Cyprus

David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely outcome of negotiations in Cyprus on the future governance of the island.

Caroline Flint: The current negotiations represent the best opportunity Cypriots have ever had to reach a settlement. We fully support the efforts of the two leaders and the UN Special Envoy to Cyprus, Alexander Downer. Progress has been made but it is important that the momentum of the talks is increased. We hope the current process will deliver a settlement all Cypriots can support.

Seditious Libel and Criminal Defamation

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the effects of laws of seditious libel and criminal defamation in foreign countries.

Gillian Merron: We urge all countries to fulfil their obligations under international law, including under UN human rights conventions. We work to safeguard the international framework which protects and extends the right to freedom of expression and to support change on the ground, along with international, regional and local partners.

International Terrorism

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent to which international terrorist activity is linked to extremist activity in Pakistan; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Those who suffer most from violent extremism in Pakistan are ordinary Pakistanis. However, violent extremism in Pakistan, particularly from global terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda that take haven in the tribal areas, is also a threat to the UK and others. Pakistan is a key ally in defeating these groups.

Climate Change

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of his Department's performance in persuading other countries to subscribe to action to address climate change.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and its network of posts are working to create the political conditions for a global deal at Copenhagen to avoid dangerous climate change.
	We are working beyond traditional government-to-government diplomacy to mobilise civil society, business leaders and others.
	We assess posts' progress twice a year, as part of the FCO's business planning cycle. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bexhill and Battle (Gregory Barker) on 20 November 2008,  Official Report, column 744W, giving examples of progress.
	Since then FCO posts have contributed to the major agreement reached at the December European Council on the EU's ambitious package of climate change and energy legislation, including a 20 per cent. cut in the EU's greenhouse gas emissions (to be increased to 30 per cent. as part of the right international agreement).

Gaza

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Gaza.

Bill Rammell: The Government are extremely concerned with the current violence in Gaza. We are in close contact with all the key players and at the centre of efforts to reach a ceasefire and secure urgent humanitarian assistance. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary was instrumental in gaining UN Security Council agreement around a British text, which became Resolution 1860. This now needs to be reflected in reality on the ground. For any ceasefire to be sustainable it must include action to stop illegal arms trafficking into Gaza and to open the crossings into Gaza.

Guinea-Bissau

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the arms-clearing project in Guinea-Bissau supported by his Department.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has part funded an Explosive Remnants of War Removal Project by Cleared Ground Demining (a non-governmental organisation) in Guinea Bissau.
	This project has removed 1.5 tonnes of munitions and held seminars which reached over 1,100 people to warn local populations on how to handle explosive remnants.
	The UK has also contributed to other mine clearance projects through the Conflict Prevention Pool.

US Secretary of State

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to meet the incoming US Secretary of State to discuss UK-US relations.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary looks forward to a close working relationship with the incoming US Secretary of State following the President's inauguration, which will of course involve face-to-face meetings in the US, UK and elsewhere. He has already spoken to her by telephone.

EU: Czech Presidency

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the Czech Presidency's EU agenda.

Caroline Flint: The Czech presidency of the EU began on 1 January and ends on 30 June 2009. It has a full agenda focussing on energy, external and economic issues. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office produces a Command Paper on each EU presidency every six months and this will be laid before the House before the end of January. It will also be placed in the Library of the House and on the FCO website at www.fco.gov.uk. The Government have worked very closely with the Czech Government following Prime Minister Topolanek's visit in December of last year.

Pakistan-India

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the state of relations between Pakistan and India; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: This has been a sensitive time for the region following the Mumbai attacks. My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary are in contact with their counterparts in India and Pakistan to press the importance of Pakistan and India cooperating fully to bring those responsible to justice, and ensuring this terrible act does not undermine earlier progress towards the normalisation of relations and prevent further constructive dialogue between the two countries.

Iran

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of Iran's level of co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Bill Rammell: We assess that Iran's level of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been inadequate in a number of critical areas. The IAEA Director General's report of 19 November 2008 highlighted Iran's failure to implement transparency measures including the Additional Protocol; provide substantive information on their alleged studies with a possible military dimension; provide access to the heavy water reactor at Arak on 26 October 2008.

Belarus

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the state of relations between Belarus and the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Following the release of three remaining political prisoners in August 2008, the UK supported the EU decision in October to suspend the visa ban for six months to encourage further reforms.
	We have seen some small improvements—two opposition newspapers are now on sale in small quantities, and an opposition party has been allowed to register with the authorities. However, we continue to encourage the Belarusian Government to take further progress on human rights.

Kashmir

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Indian Government on Kashmir.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed Kashmir with Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on 2 September and 24 October 2008. The UK continues to urge both India and Pakistan to seek a lasting resolution to the issue of Kashmir, which takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will visit India on 13 and 14 January and will discuss India-Pakistan relations with the Indian Prime Minister, Home Minister and External Affairs Minister.

British Council

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Daventry of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1048-49W, on exchange rates, whether the British Council plans to reduce any programmes in consequence of the reduction in purchasing power of its core grant.

David Miliband: The British Council recognises that the significant weakening of Sterling over the last few months, particularly against US dollar linked currencies, has undermined its purchasing power. In the current year they expect the absolute impact to be equivalent to a £10 million cut in spending capacity or around 8 per cent. of their grant in aid programme spend. In response they will try to preserve as much programme spend as possible, by short term cost savings and, where necessary, by deferring programme spend into the 2009-10 financial year.

Cyprus: Economic Situation

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the prospects for the Turkish Cypriot economy; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The economy is currently in recession. Settlement of the Cyprus problem is likely to bring very substantial economic benefits to both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. The recent International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO) report estimated that the benefit for each Cypriot household would be 5,500 euros in average per year during the first seven years after a solution. The full report can be found at:
	http://www.prio.no/files/manual-import/cypras/dayafter/Report-The%20day%20after.pdf

Diplomatic Service: Recruitment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people participated in his Department's work placement scheme; in which regions they resided; what proportion attended  (a) state and  (b) independent schools; and what proportion attended (i) Oxford and Cambridge and (ii) other universities in each of the last 10 years.

Gillian Merron: The following table provides information on those attending work placements at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
	
		
			   Region  Number  School  Number  Universities  Number 
			 2008 South East 47 State 32 Oxford/Cambridge 23 
			  South West 3 Independent 23 Other university 28 
			  Wales 1 Not known 6   
			  Midlands 6 
			  North East 2 
			  North West 2 
			
			 2007 South East 34 State 10 Oxford/Cambridge 11 
			  South West 3 Independent 0 Other university 27 
			  Wales 2 Not known 39 Not known 1 
			  Midlands 4 
			  North East 2 
			  North West 3 
			  Not known 1 
			
			 2006 South East 27 State 10 Oxford/Cambridge 11 
			  South West 7 Independent 0 Other university 25 
			  Wales 1 Not known 38 Not known 2 
			  Midlands 6 
			  North East 2 
			  North West 1 
			  Scotland 3 
			  Channel Islands 1 
		
	
	From 1999 to 2008, FCO Services, a Trading Fund of the FCO, participated in the Equal Choices Schools Initiative programme. They take 16 children annually, from ethnic minority backgrounds, who spend two days gaining an insight into their work.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer of 27 November 2006  Official Report, column 487W for information on the regional backgrounds and numbers of students undertaking work experience at the FCO, before 2006.
	The school background of work placement students is not requested as a matter of course at the application stage and has therefore only been provided when held.

Drugs: Smuggling

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to prevent illegal drugs reaching the UK from abroad.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 15 December 2008
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) remains engaged on drugs and crime work, even though the policy lead passed to Home Office as from 1 April 2008. In London, we give policy advice to operational agencies such as the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and UK Border Agency (UKBA) and task our global network to help deliver the Government's objectives. Our Posts overseas continue to provide political reporting and lobbying support where necessary.
	Our focus is now at strategic level, where the FCO can best add value (foreign policy expertise, building relationships with partner countries, creating effective multipliers through the EU and other multi-lateral bodies). This involves close co-operation with Home Office, SOCA, UKBA, Metropolitan Police Service, Crown Prosecution Service and HM Revenue and Customs to define the threat from drugs and crime to the UK and decide how/where best to tackle it overseas.
	Through the FCO's Drugs and Crime programme we are helping to build capacity amongst local law enforcement agencies and judiciaries, with the provision of training and equipment. We work closely with other partners including the EU and US, to maximise joint effort.
	We are tackling the problem of the trade in opium from Afghanistan through a multi-pronged strategy, which aims to reduce opium production there over time by offering farmers alternative livelihoods, building better governance, promoting the rule of law, rooting out corruption, interdicting the trade, eradicating opium poppy where possible, and breaking the link between the trade and the insurgency. This work is funded by the Afghan counter-narcotics programme.

Libya: Terrorism

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Prime Minister's meeting with the hon. Member for Belfast North and others on 10 December, whether he plans to press the Government of Libya to reopen the question of compensation to victims of terrorism in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The meeting between the PM and the hon. Member for Belfast North and others on 10 December provided an opportunity for discussion on this issue. The PM is acutely aware of the sensitivities and frustrations of this issue, as he expressed during this meeting. I would emphasise that the Government does not condone in any way Libya's past actions and the victims of IRA atrocities have our whole hearted sympathy. We have tested the Libyan position on IRA compensation on a number of occasions and the US raised it on our behalf in August this year. Each time the Libyans have reiterated that they consider the matter closed. As the PM stated on 10 December, we will not therefore seek to negotiate a bilateral settlement on this issue with Libya. However, we will monitor the position of Libya in relation to this issue. The Government have already openly responded to queries on compensation for victims of IRA terrorism and will continue to do so.

Rashid Rauf

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the United Kingdom intelligence services had knowledge of Mr Rashid Rauf's whereabouts on the night of the US air strike of 21 November 2008 in North Waziristan, Pakistan.

Bill Rammell: It is the long standing policy of the Government not to comment on operational intelligence matters.

Rashid Rauf

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether  (a) the Government of Pakistan and  (b) the US Administration have made representations to the UK Government about the US air strike of 21 November in North Waziristan, Pakistan.

Bill Rammell: We have frequent discussions with both the US and Pakistan about how to deal with the problem of violent extremism in Pakistan. The subject of US missile strikes in Pakistan is a matter for the US and Pakistani Governments. We have asked the Government of Pakistan whether they can confirm the press reports that a dual Pakistani-British national was killed in the attack of 21 November.

Russia: Broadcasting

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had on the restriction of Russian broadcasters to the UK since 1990.

Caroline Flint: Since 1990, the FCO has had no discussions on restricting Russian broadcasters to the UK.

Russia: Detainees

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of  (a) the legal system in Russia and  (b) the Russian Federation's compliance with its commitments under the European Convention on Human Rights, with regard to the treatment of (i) Mikhail Khodorkovsky and (ii) Platon Lebedev;
	(2)  what discussions  (a) he,  (b) members of his Department and  (c) UK representatives overseas have had with (i) members and (ii) representatives of the government of the Russian Federation on the ongoing imprisonment of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on  (a) the ongoing imprisonment of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev and other individuals affected by the Yukos affair and the recent refusal of parole to them and  (b) the role played by the Russian government and its agencies in their ongoing imprisonment;
	(4)  what arrangements the British Embassy in Moscow is making to monitor the forthcoming new trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev  (a) unilaterally and  (b) in co-operation with other EU embassies;
	(5)  if his Department will make representations to the Russian government on  (a) the ongoing imprisonment of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev and  (b) the recent decision by the Russian courts to limit the defendants' access to materials pertinent to their case.

Caroline Flint: Promoting the rule of law, including the independence of the judiciary, is a key element of the UK's and EU's engagement with Russia. We are concerned that judicial reform in Russia is not progressing as rapidly as is needed. The UK and the EU will also continue to encourage Russia to fulfil all the international commitments it has signed up to, including those under the European convention on human rights.
	We have raised and continue to raise regularly our concerns about the arbitrary application of the rule of law in Russia, both bilaterally and through the EU, including the cases of both Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev. We also have concerns about the due process and fair treatment of others who have been arrested or prosecuted in the Yukos Affair. These include concerns about access to lawyers and medical care, conditions of detention and the alleged harassment of defence teams and witnesses. While we welcome the recent release on bail of Vasily Aleksanyan, we remain concerned about the delay in the early release hearing for Svetlana Bakhmina. We will continue to monitor developments in these cases, co-ordinating trial monitoring with EU partners in line with EU guidelines on protection of human rights defenders.
	We will raise these issues at the UK/Russia bilateral human rights talks on 16 January 2009.

Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the Government of Sudan to facilitate clearance of UN-AM Mission in Darfur equipment through a single point of entry at Port Sudan following its agreement earlier this year; and what discussions the Special Envoy to Sudan has had with the Government of Sudan on this matter.

Gillian Merron: As part of a tripartite agreement reached on 7 October 2008 with the UN and the African Union, the Government of Sudan undertook to facilitate clearance of UN/AM Mission in Darfur equipment through a single point of entry at Port Sudan. This clearance has subsequently been granted.
	We have underlined the importance of implementation of the tripartite agreement with the Government of Sudan, including through the UK Special Representative for Sudan, as well as in the UN Security Council, and will continue to monitor progress.

Western Sahara

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has discussed with his Moroccan counterpart the delay in appointing a new personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara.

Bill Rammell: The appointment of Personal Envoys and Special Representatives is a matter for the Secretary-General and we respect his independence in making such appointments. The UK hopes that the UN Secretary-General will appoint a new Personal Envoy shortly and that a further round of negotiations will take place soon. We have called on the parties to maintain their commitment to the negotiation process.

Western Sahara: Fisheries

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether UK-registered trawlers are fishing in waters off occupied Western Sahara.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I have been asked to reply.
	Two UK-registered fishing vessels have fished in the waters off Western Sahara during 2008 under the EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement. They are not operating currently in these waters.
	The EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement was agreed in 2006 and sets out the terms for which UK and other European fishing vessels may fish in the waters off the coast of Western Sahara. The agreement does not prejudice the issue of the status of Western Sahara, which the UK regards as undetermined pending UN efforts to find a resolution. Nor does the agreement represent recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over the maritime waters off Western Sahara.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Parliament: Security

Andrew Turner: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission which office is responsible for the security of materials kept in the places of work assigned to hon. Members on the Parliamentary Estate.

Nick Harvey: Executive responsibility for the security of the Parliamentary Estate rests with the office of the Serjeant at Arms. Every individual who works in the House of Commons is responsible for care of personal property and official property in their place of work. Advice on office security is available through the Serjeant at Arms from the police crime prevention officer.
	More detailed procedures for handling sensitive personal data and material are outlined in the publication "Data Protection Act 1988: Advice for Members' Offices":
	http://dfaweb.parliament.uk/members/publications/membersguide.pdf

TRANSPORT

Humber Bridge Toll: VAT

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what effect the reduction in the rate of value added tax will have on the level of the Humber Bridge toll in 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The Humber bridge was built under local authority-promoted legislation and is managed by a board made up of local authorities. It is, therefore, exempt from VAT.

Transport: Crime

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many crimes were reported to British Transport Police in  (a) England,  (b) London,  (c) each London borough and  (d) each London (i) underground, (ii) mainline and (iii) interchange station of (A) violence against the person, (B) sexual offences, (C) theft of passenger property and (D) robbery in each of the last five years, broken down by sex of the victim; and whether the crime was reported by a member of (1) the public and (2) rail staff in each case.

Paul Clark: This information is not held by the Department for Transport, but by the British Transport police who can be contacted at:
	British Transport Police,
	25 Camden Road,
	London NW1 9LN,
	E-mail: parliament@btp.pnn.police.uk

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Telephone Services

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what use  (a) his Department and  (b) service providers under contract to his Department make of (i) 0844 and 0845 telephone numbers and (ii) revenue-sharing telephone numbers for calls from members of the public; for which services such numbers are used; what prefixes are used for revenue-sharing numbers; how much revenue has accrued from revenue-sharing numbers in each of the last five years; what consideration his Department has given to introducing 03-prefixed telephone numbers for calls to all such services; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My Department does not operate any public service 0844/0845 numbers.

Radio Frequencies

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he has received on  (a) the UK's obligations arising from membership of the International Telecommunication Union and  (b) the provisions of its regulations relating to harmful radio interference; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 15 December 2008
	 I have been asked to reply.
	BERR have received one representation on the UK's membership of the International Telecommunications Union and the provisions of the Radio Regulations relating to harmful radio interference, which was received from the hon. Member for South Staffordshire (Sir Patrick Cormack) on a constituents complaint regarding interference issues relating to power-line adaptors.

Radio Frequencies

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps, in accordance with the International Telecommunications Union regulations on harmful radio interference, to ensure that the operation of electrical apparatus or installations, including power and telecommunications distribution networks, does not cause harmful interference to any radio communications service, with particular reference to international shortwave broadcasting and amateur radio; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 17 December 2008
	I have been asked to reply.
	The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is a specialised agency of the United Nations with responsibility for information and communication technologies. The ITU Constitution is one of the basic texts of the organisation and this describes its function in relation to interference. The Constitution defines the role of the ITU in the prevention of harmful interference between radio stations of different countries. This is achieved through a process of management of radio frequencies, and orbital positions and characteristics of satellites. In rare cases where interference does occur, the ITU coordinates efforts to eliminate harmful interference between radio stations of different countries.
	The Radio Regulations determine the level of protection from harmful interference which one country may claim from another through a process of allocating frequency bands to radio communication services. The ITU maintains a system of registration of frequency use and the rights to protection of a given service are determined by a combination of compliance with the allocation table, registration with the ITU, and the sharing arrangements between services allocated in the same band.
	Due to the nature of short wave broadcasting and amateur radio, received signals are often weak and susceptible to local interference—in particular, from the wide range of modern electronic equipment to be found in the typical domestic environment.

Rescue Services: Telecommunications

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment has been made of the  (a) effect and  (b) cost of introducing administered incentive pricing for radio frequencies on the Royal National Lifeboat Institute service.

Patrick McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
	As part of their consultation on proposals to introduce administered incentive pricing for maritime and aeronautical radio, Ofcom have stated that they expect RNLI's licence fees to fall compared to the current level.
	As such, the effect on RNLI is likely to be a reduction in their licensing costs.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

British Energy: EDF Energy

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 2133W, on British Energy: EDF, if he will place in the Library a copy of the agreements made with EDF requiring it to release any British Energy sites.

Mike O'Brien: I have put a copy of the agreements made by HMG and the NDA with EDF relating to the disposal of British Energy sites in the Libraries of the House.

British Energy: Invesco

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 2133W, on British Energy: EDF, if he will place in the Library a copy of the  (a) agenda and  (b) minutes of the meeting held with Invesco.

Mike O'Brien: No. I can say that the meeting with Invesco was held at the request of Invesco, the second largest shareholder in British Energy after HMG. There was no agenda, nor was a formal minute taken. Invesco and HMG expressed their respective views about a possible takeover offer for British Energy by EDF. The details of what was discussed are commercially confidential.

Energy: Disadvantaged

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will bring forward proposals to require energy companies to inform customers about assistance available to vulnerable groups in their social tariff schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Suppliers agreed at the Fuel Poverty Summit organised by Ofgem in April to provide greater visibility of their offers. Following this Ofgem have worked with the suppliers to ensure that information about their social tariffs and programmes and a contact phone number for consumers to check their eligibility, is available on all the suppliers' websites.
	Energy suppliers have committed to collectively spend £100 million this year, rising to £125 million next year and £150 million by 2011 on social assistance. In order to meet this commitment to Government suppliers need to inform their customers about the assistance available to vulnerable groups through their social tariff scheme.
	Expenditure on suppliers' social assistance is monitored by Ofgem and early indications from suppliers to them is that since this time last year the numbers of customer accounts on social tariffs have at least doubled and will exceed the 600,000 customer accounts originally suppliers estimated that would benefit this winter which is a good indication of the level of awareness of the assistance suppliers offer.

Fuel Poverty

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with energy suppliers on the introduction of social tariffs for  (a) domestic fuel oil and  (b) liquid petroleum gas.

Mike O'Brien: Suppliers of domestic oil and liquid petroleum gas serve a small but important market and are significantly more numerous than those supplying mains gas and electricity. The Government have not held discussions about social programmes with these companies.
	The big six gas and electricity suppliers offer energy efficiency measures as part of their statutory obligations under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) scheme. Customers who use domestic oil or liquid petroleum gas to heat their homes can benefit from these programmes offered by their electricity suppliers.
	In addition, mains gas continues to be cheaper and more convenient than other heating fuels. The Government have encouraged the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) to incentivise the large gas distribution networks to provide connections to households in deprived communities. Under the 2008-13 Gas Distribution Price Control, Ofgem has introduced incentivisation measures that should provide at least 20,000 connections in 400 communities.

Nuclear Power: Insurance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his statement of 19 November 2008,  Official Report, column 125WH, on nuclear industry finance, what consultations his Department conducted on the insurance arrangements for the management of Sellafield.

Mike O'Brien: None. Like insurance arrangements for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's 18 other sites, those for Sellafield are a matter for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the site licence company.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Advertising

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent by his Department on advertising in the last 12 months.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office's advertising expenditure in the 2007-08 financial year, excluding agencies and executive NDPBs, was £454,075. The main advertising campaigns funded included public information campaigns concerning fireworks safety, vehicle theft and unknown callers.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when his Department appointed a senior information risk owner in accordance with the report, "Data Handling Procedures in Government" and the accompanying document "Cross-departmental Actions: Mandatory Minimum Action"; and what grade the person holds within the Department.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office has had a senior information risk owner (SIRO) appointed at director level and a member of the departmental board since 2003.

Departmental Marketing

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 12 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1209W, on departmental marketing, how much his Department's  (a) agencies and  (b) executive non-departmental public bodies have spent on advertising in the last 12 months.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) spent £454,075 on advertising during the 2007-08 financial year. The NIO's agencies recorded total expenditure of £213,518 on advertising during this period. The main advertising campaigns funded included public information campaigns concerning fireworks safety, vehicle theft and unknown callers.
	Information for the NIO's executive non-departmental bodies is an operational matter for each of the bodies, who operate independently of Government. I would encourage the hon. Member to write to the respective chief executives.
	Details of the NIO's non-departmental public bodies can be found in the NIO 2008 departmental report:
	http://www.nio.gov.uk/northern_ireland_office_departmental_report_2008.pdf
	All expenditure has to be incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Marketing

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 12 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1209W, on departmental marketing, what advertisements were funded during 2007-08.

Shaun Woodward: The high volume of transactions within the Department's advertising expenditure codes means that details of all the advertisements funded during 2007-08 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, the main advertising campaigns funded included fireworks safety, vehicle theft and unknown callers.

Departmental Television

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 885-6W, on television, from where the televisions were purchased; how many of the televisions  (a) had (i) built-in freeview receivers (ii) digital receivers and  (b) were widescreen,  (c) were LCD and (d) were high definition.

Shaun Woodward: Five televisions were purchased from approved contracts for electrical supplies. All five of these are widescreen and LCD, and three of the five have built in freeview digital receivers and are also HD ready.

Departmental Television

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 885-6W, on television, which channels his Department pays for.

Shaun Woodward: In addition to BBC channels, paid for through license fees, the Department also subscribes to Sky and Setanta packages.

Departmental Television

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 885-6W, on television, how much his Department's  (a) agencies and  (b) executive non-departmental public bodies have spent on (i) televisions and (ii) receiving digital television in the last 12 months.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office's Agencies spent £5,452 on purchasing televisions and £300 on receiving digital television in the 2007-08 financial year.
	Information for the Northern Ireland Office's executive non-departmental bodies is an operational matter for each of the bodies, who operate independently of Government. I would encourage the hon. Member to write to the respective chief executives.
	Details of the NIO's non-departmental public bodies can be found in the NIO 2008 departmental report:
	http://www.nio.gov.uk/northern_ireland_office_departmental_report_2008.pdf.
	All expenditure has to be incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Electronic Equipment

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 12 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1211W, on electronic equipment, how much his Department and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on electronic equipment in the last 12 months.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) spent £24,603 on electronic equipment during the 2007-08 financial year. This figure only includes non-capital items as electronic equipment costing more than £1,000 could be captured only at disproportionate cost.
	The NIO's Agencies recorded total expenditure of £433,511 on electronic equipment during this period, this figure is made up as follows:
	
		
			  Agency  Expenditure (£) 
			 Northern Ireland Prison Service(1) 405,996 
			 Forensic Science Agency Northern Ireland 4,679 
			 Compensation Agency(1) 20,286 
			 Youth Justice Agency 2,550 
			 (1 )These agencies are able to produce capital items within their figures and include electronic goods such as X-ray scanners, telecommunications and radio equipment. 
		
	
	Information for the NIO's executive non-departmental bodies is an operational matter for each of the bodies, who operate independently of Government. I would encourage the hon. Member to write to the respective chief executives.
	Details of the NIO's non-departmental public bodies can be found in the NIO 2008 departmental report:
	http://www.nio.gov.uk/northem_ireland_office_departmental_report_2008.pdf.
	All expenditure has to be incurred in accordance with the principles of managing public money and the Treasury handbook on regularity and propriety.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Defence Equipment

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the issue of mercury-tipped ammunition to regular British troops serving in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: In accordance with The Hague convention of 1899 (Declaration III), ratified by the UK on 30 August 1907, the MOD does not procure or use mercury-tipped ammunition.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's estimate was in 2006 of the duration of the incursion of British troops into Helmand province; and what his current estimate is.

John Hutton: When the then Defence Secretary announced our deployment to Helmand on 26 January 2006,  Official Report, column 1532, it was described as a three-year deployment.
	However, we have always made clear that we would keep the commitment of UK forces under review.
	As the Prime Minister said in his 12 December 2007 statement, and has been made clear subsequently, the UK's strategy for Afghanistan is long-term and based on a comprehensive approach to security, political, social and economic development. We are therefore planning to maintain forces in Afghanistan for the foreseeable future.

Armed Forces: Bereavement

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what steps his Department takes to assist those who have lost an immediate relative in the armed forces to claim bereavement entitlement;
	(2)  what the bereavement entitlement for families of service personnel is.

Kevan Jones: The next of kin of all those who die in military service are allocated a services visiting officer who will provide long-term support and act as a focal point for the family in obtaining specialist advice and assistance from various service organisations and civilian agencies. The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) Veterans Welfare Service works closely with the visiting officer to make immediate contact with the next of kin and to ensure information on entitlement is made available promptly. Where there is a spouse or partner, a welfare officer from the SPVA will visit him/her with the visiting officer within 15 days to provide help and advice in completing claims, where appropriate, for an armed forces pension or a claim under the armed forces compensation scheme, as well as to offer general advice on state benefits and welfare matters. Where there is no spouse or partner, the SPVA writes to the next of kin or any other individual known to be dependant on the deceased, through the families visiting officer within a week of the death, providing them with a guidance booklet on what to do after death which includes advice on state benefits. However the services of SPVA Welfare are not only restricted to immediate dependants, such as a widow, as they will also visit other family members, e.g., parents, if requested and this is normally arranged through the visiting officer.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed services recruitment centres there were in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2008, broken down by service.

Bob Ainsworth: Both in 1997 and 2008 there were 39 tri-service armed forces careers offices (AFCOs): six of which were/are sponsored by the Royal Navy, 22 by the Army, and 11 sponsored by the Royal Air Force. These AFCOs are supplemented by 94 satellite recruiting offices, the majority of which are Army owned, and a handful operated on a bi-service basis.

Armed Forces: United States

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many British nationals have been injured by unmanned drones operated by US forces since January 2002;
	(2)  how many  (a) British citizens and  (b) UK residents have been killed by unmanned drones operated by US forces since January 2002.

John Hutton: We cannot confirm whether any British citizens or UK residents have been killed in any such incidents.

Defence: Procurement

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the effect on the defence procurement budget of the reduction in the value of sterling in the last six months.

John Hutton: Fluctuations in the value of sterling have had a significant effect over the last six months on a range of defence equipment acquisition projects, though the precise aggregate financial impact of these changes over that period could be provided only at disproportionate cost, given that foreign exchange is only one of a number of factors leading to cost variations in projects. Across 2008-09 as a whole, however, the Defence Equipment and Support organisation estimates a pressure of some £130 million from foreign exchange movements. The Department's in-year financial management process takes into account overall cost changes, including within equipment acquisition, to ensure that the defence programme remains within available resources.

Departmental Consultants

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department intends to spend on the purchase of consultancy services, with reference to Standard Chart of Account code 51401400, in financial years 2008-09 to 2010-11.

Kevan Jones: The Department's current 2008-09 forecast for expenditure on the purchase of consultancy services against the Standard Chart of Account code 51401400 which includes management consultancy of business performance, financial and accountancy services, corporate governance and audit is £104 million.
	The Department's plans for future consultancy services are currently being examined in the Planning Round 2009.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department appointed a senior information risk owner in accordance with the report, "Data Handling Procedures in Government" and the accompanying document "Cross-departmental Actions: Mandatory Minimum Action;" and what grade the person holds within the Department.

Bob Ainsworth: The director general information (a two star/senior civil servant pay band 2) was discharging the role of senior information risk owner (SIRO) by late 2003 and formally acquired the role and title, as directed by the permanent under secretary, in response to the February 2004 request from the Cabinet Secretary for all Departments to make such an appointment. The DG information post has since been re-titled chief information officer (CIO). Following the publication of the Data Handling Procedures in Government report the CIO was reconfirmed in the role of SIRO. The SIRO leads on information risk issues at the Defence Operating Board and is called to the Defence Board as and when required.

Departmental Finance

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what monetary value his Department assigns to one life in its economic appraisals of  (a) troop safety measures and  (b) defence equipment; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: Since the main benefits of Departmental investment in the form of defence capability are not capable of being expressed in monetary terms, the overwhelming majority of MOD investment appraisals use a cost effectiveness approach. This involves a comparison of the whole life costs of alternative options to deliver the same stated defence benefit, without recourse to specific monetary values of life. There have been no economic appraisals supporting business cases of expenditure proposals subject to the Department's central approval processes where monetary values have been applied to life. However, should it be necessary to directly evaluate the costs and benefits of safety measures the Department's approach to applying monetary values to life and safety is set out in Joint Services Publication (JSP) 507 "MOD Guide to Investment Appraisal and Evaluation". This is available at
	http://www.mod.uk/defenceinternet/aboutdefence/corporatepublications/policystrategyandplanning/jsp507modguidetoinvestmentappraisalandevaluation.htm.
	The approach follows HM Treasury guidance and is the same as that used by other Government Departments, in particular the Department for Transport and the Health and Safety Executive.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to box 6.4 of the pre-Budget report (CM 7484), if he will place in the Library a copy of the terms of reference of the reviews he intends to undertake of the  (a) Met Office,  (b) Oil and Pipeline Agency and  (c) Defence Storage and Distribution Agency.

Kevan Jones: The terms of reference of the reviews on the Met Office, the Oil and Pipeline Agency and the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency have not yet been finalised. The scope of the study which will form the basis for the terms of reference was announced in the pre-Budget report. This indicated that the studies would consider the potential for alternative business models, commercialisation, new market opportunities and, where appropriate, alternatives to public ownership. Gerry Grimstone is working with MOD and shareholder Executive to take forward this work, and progress will be reported in Budget 2009.
	Once the terms of reference have been approved, a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Harrier aircraft were operating in Iraq at the latest date for which figures are available.

John Hutton: The last eight RAF Harrier aircraft to deploy on Operation Telic were withdrawn on 6 May 2003.

Military Aircraft: Warships

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans are in place to ensure that the armed forces will have a continuing aircraft carrier capability during the transition between the withdrawal of service of the CVS carriers and the entry into service of the CVF carriers.

Quentin Davies: The transition from the existing to future aircraft carriers will be managed coherently and we are currently assessing the modalities for achieving this.

Nuclear Weapons: Testing

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long the 2005 decontamination exercise on Kiritimati took; and how much the exercise cost, broken down by category of expenditure.

Kevan Jones: The contract works on the island commenced during January 2005 and the last package of waste left the Island in May 2008, although most of the scrap metal had been removed by November 2006.
	The costs of removing the waste (not necessarily decontamination) currently amount to £7 million broken down as follows (figures are rounded):
	
		
			   £ million 
			 General items (insurance, mobilisation, provision of compound) 3.0 
			 Whole island tasks (removal of asbestos, radiological survey and known radium luminised dials) 0.5 
			 Waste removal (vehicles and plant, tanks, boilers drums and bitumen spills, asphalt plant, coral crushing plant, and bunkers) 2.5 
			 Shipping and disposal 1.0

Rescue Services: Helicopters

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent plans his Department has made to change numbers of  (a) helicopters and  (b) search and rescue crew personnel at search and rescue centres.

Bob Ainsworth: We have made no recent plans to change the number of helicopters available for search and rescue. It is currently planned that RAF search and rescue crews will reduce by four over the next two years.

Rescue Services: Private Sector

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress the Government has made on plans to invite private companies to bid to operate search and rescue services.

Quentin Davies: The competition to bring together the Search and Rescue capability currently provided by the Ministry of Defence and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency into one harmonised service continues, with two industrial consortia (AirKnight and Soteria) actively engaged.
	The main investment decision will be made following further development of the bids through evaluation and dialogue to ensure that the consortia are able to provide the required capability and service levels through life.

Sight Impaired

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidelines his Department follows in respect of making printed materials and forms accessible to people suffering red/green colour blindness.

Kevan Jones: It is MOD policy and a legal requirement to supply materials in alternative formats if requested. The MOD consults with the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) and works closely with the Employers Forum on Disability and the EHRC to ensure it meets the accessibility needs of disabled people. The Departmental Equality and Diversity Scheme 2008-11 contains an undertaking to ensure that all disabled employees and members of the public are able to access our publications in a way that meets their needs.

Weapons: Theft

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many weapons of each type have  (a) been stolen and  (b) gone missing from armed forces bases in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many weapons of each type have  (a) gone missing and  (b) been stolen from the Army in each of the last five years.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 12 January 2009
	 The following table sets out details of Ministry of Defence firearms recorded as lost/stolen for the last five calendar years, 2004-08 and include bases both home and abroad. The figures represent the latest available from the Service Police Crime Bureau.
	
		
			  Weapon statistics 2004-08 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  Weapon type  Stolen  Lost  Stolen  Lost  Stolen  Lost  Stolen  Lost  Stolen  Lost 
			 Pistol 10 10 5 3 8 10 11 16 20 9 
			 Rifle 15 3 9 7 14 19 14 8 14 16 
			 Machine guns 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 3 0 
			 Totals 25 13 14 10 22 35 25 24 37 25 
		
	
	Figures by individual service could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Weapons: Theft

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedures are in place to prevent weapons used by British servicemen and women abroad being stolen and returned to the UK to be used illegally; and whether he has plans to improve those procedures.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 12 January 2009
	MOD takes every reasonable precaution to ensure all weapons are controlled and stored securely. Comprehensive records are maintained to enable accurate accounting and are subject to both regular and spot checks. We also have specific operations designed to deter those personnel from all three services who may be tempted to illegally import items and also to identify those who transgress. This includes a combined information campaign and a physical search of all equipment including personal baggage, comfy boxes etc. returning to peacetime locations. All security measures are subject to continuous review, security surveys and audits.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Bankruptcy: Devon

Nick Harvey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many people were declared bankrupt in North Devon in each year since 1997.

Patrick McFadden: The following table shows the number of bankruptcies in north Devon in each year from 2000 to 2007, derived from postcodes provided by bankrupt individuals(1,)( )(2). Earlier years figures are not available.
	(1) Classifying bankrupts into administrative geographies is done using the postcode that the bankrupt individual provides. The use of this in assigning an individual to a borough is thus only as reliable as the postcode information provided.
	(2) In particular, inaccurate or missing postcodes mean that the numbers in the above table will be subject to an element of missing data. Nationally, this proportion has been decreasing from about 12 per cent. in 2000 to less than 4 per cent. in 2007.
	
		
			   Bankruptcies in north Devon 
			 2000 43 
			 2001 49 
			 2002 61 
			 2003 85 
			 2004 135 
			 2005 171 
			 2006 160 
			 2007 160

Bankruptcy: Self-Employed

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many bankruptcy orders for self-employed individuals he estimates have occurred in 2008-09.

Patrick McFadden: For 2008-09 the latest available number of self-employed individuals going bankrupt is for the period April to June 2008. In this period there were 1,828 self-employed bankrupts.
	Self-employed figures for this period and earlier years can also be found on the internet here:
	http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/otherinformation//statistics/200811/table2a.htm

Business: Postal Services

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will seek to increase the cost charge for private companies on bulk mail deliveries.

Patrick McFadden: The price that other postal operators are charged to access Royal Mail's delivery network is a matter for negotiation between those postal operators and Royal Mail.
	If agreement cannot be reached through negotiation, it is the responsibility of Postcomm, the independent postal regulator, to determine an appropriate access price.

Departmental Buildings

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department spent on works and refurbishment to offices allocated to Ministers in departmental buildings in the last 12 months.

Patrick McFadden: During the calendar year 1 January to 31 December 2008 a total of £391,000 (inc. VAT) was spent on works and refurbishment to offices allocated to BERR Ministers.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many special advisers were employed in his Department at each pay band on 30 November 2008; and what his Department's expenditure on special advisers was in 2007-08.

Patrick McFadden: The Government are committed to publishing an annual list detailing the number and costs of special advisers. Information for 2007-08 was published by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 99-102WS.

Departmental Procurement

Alan Duncan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of invoices for goods and services procured from small and medium-sized businesses were paid within 10 days of receipt by  (a) his Department and  (b) the agencies for which his Department is responsible in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 16 December 2008
	BERR is currently collecting data from other Government Departments and from its own delivery partners on performance in making payments to suppliers within 10 days of receiving a correctly rendered invoice. Although complete figures are not yet available, Government Departments and public bodies have embraced payment within 10 days and are working to implement this across their own organisation and to encourage suppliers to pass on these terms.

Departmental Telephone Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many telephone numbers for which callers are charged at the rate applicable to 0845 numbers are used by  (a) his Department and  (b) its executive agencies for public access to services.

Patrick McFadden: From the central records available there are seven 0845 telephone numbers services administered by the Department for public use.
	I have asked the chief executives of the Department's agencies to respond directly to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 13 January 2009:
	I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Minister of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	Companies House has one 0845 number, (0845 757 3991), used as first-line support for customers using the Companies House Direct search service.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 13 January 2009:
	The Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has asked me to reply to your question (2008/446), how many telephone numbers for which callers are charged at the rate applicable to 0845 numbers are used by (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies for public access to services.
	The Insolvency Service has three 0845 lines. These are; The Insolvency Service Enquiry Line, The Redundancy Payments Helpline and The Enforcement Hotline.

Insolvency

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many businesses he estimates have been the subject of liquidation or other insolvency procedures during 2008-09.

Patrick McFadden: For 2008-09 the latest available number of companies in liquidation is for the period April to September 2008. In this period there were 7,748 liquidations.
	Liquidation figures for this period and earlier years can also be found on the internet here:
	http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/otherinformation/statistics/200811/tablel.htm

Internet

Mark Hunter: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent meetings his Department has had with internet service providers on websites which advocate anorexic or bulimic practices.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 12 January 2009
	The Department meets with Internet Service Providers on a regular basis to discuss matters of mutual interest. I am not aware that the subject of websites that advocate anorexic or bulimic practices has arisen in recent meetings.
	The new UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) will unite over 100 organisations from the public and private sector working with Government to deliver recommendations from Dr. Tanya Byron's report: 'Safer Children in a Digital World'.
	Reporting directly to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, the Council will help to improve the regulation and education around internet use, tackling problems around online bullying, safer search features, and violent video games. This unprecedented coalition of experts and organisations will ensure that parents and young people have a voice in the development of a Child Internet Safety Strategy, to be delivered in 2009.
	The strategy will:
	establish a comprehensive public information and awareness and child internet safety campaign across Government and industry including a 'one-stop shop' on child internet safety;
	provide specific measures to support vulnerable children and young people, such as taking down illegal internet sites that promote harmful behaviour;
	promote responsible advertising to children online; and
	establish voluntary codes of practice for user-generated content sites, making such sites commit to take down inappropriate content within a given time.

Internet

Mark Hunter: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department has taken to encourage internet service providers to practise regulation of websites which advocate anorexic or bulimic practices.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 12 January 2009
	The new UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) will unite over 100 organisations from the public and private sector working with Government to deliver recommendations from Dr. Tanya Byron's report: 'Safer Children in a Digital World'.
	The Council will be a powerful union of some of our key players giving support to parents and guidance to children as they come more and more accustomed to the virtual world—it will also give families, teachers and most importantly children and young people the ability to input experiences and concerns. The UK is a world leader on internet safety for children and I look forward to others adopting this partnership approach.
	Reporting directly to the Prime Minister, the Council will help to improve the regulation and education around internet use. This unprecedented coalition of experts and organisations will ensure that parents and young people have a voice in the development of a Child Internet Safety Strategy, to be delivered in 2009.
	The strategy will:
	establish a comprehensive public information and awareness and child internet safety campaign across Government and industry including a 'one-stop shop' on child internet safety;
	provide specific measures to support vulnerable children and young people, such as taking down illegal internet sites that promote harmful behaviour;
	promote responsible advertising to children online; and
	establish voluntary codes of practice for user-generated content sites, making such sites commit to take down inappropriate content within a given time.

Mobile Phones

Nigel Evans: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  what representations he has received from  (a) Ofcom,  (b) mobile telephone operators and  (c) other parties on the original timetable outlined by Ofcom to ensure the time taken to move a telephone number between mobile telephone operators is reduced from two days to two hours for UK consumers by September 2009;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the recent Competition Appeals Tribunal ruling on mobile number portability and the consequent delay in the move to faster and more efficient mobile telephone portability for consumers;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the likely effects on mobile telephone users of Ofcom's original deadline of September 2009 for two hour recipient-led mobile number portability not being met;
	(4)  what recent discussions he has had with Ofcom on ease of transfer for consumers from one mobile telephone operator to another.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 18 December 2008
	The Department has regular discussions with Ofcom, mobile telephone operators and other parties on a range of telecommunications issues including on mobile portability.
	The Department has made no assessments of the recent Competition Appeals Tribunal ruling on this issue or of the impact of this on UK mobile consumers. These are matters for Ofcom which, following the ruling, has initiated an internal policy review to identify what, if any, changes should be made to ensure that number portability arrangements meet the needs of UK consumers, in terms of facilitating consumer choice and effective competition. The review is intended to undertake as thorough a stock-take of porting in the UK as possible, and will continue into 2009. Ofcom is committed to ensuring that consumers can switch in a competitive communications market with ease. The ability for consumers to be able to keep their telephone numbers if they so choose, and to do this quickly, easily and with confidence is a key part of this goal.

Offenders

Edward Garnier: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many former prisoners are employed by his Department; and what his Department's policy is on employing former prisoners.

Patrick McFadden: The Department does not keep a central record of the number of former prisoners it employs. To provide the information requested would involve disproportionate cost.
	The Department's policy on employing former prisoners is that a criminal record is not an automatic bar to disqualify an individual from appointment. While recognising the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, and taking into account the individual circumstances of the case, the Department will decide whether any criminal record will disqualify an individual from appointment.

Regional Planning and Development: Coastal Areas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what work has been undertaken by the regional development agency coastal towns network in the last 12 months.

Patrick McFadden: The RDA-led Coastal Towns Network aims to improve coordination between central, regional and local government in the development of policy and delivery, at a regional level, of interventions in coastal towns, providing a focus on good practice dissemination, and identification of barriers to policy implementation. It brings together representatives from all the RDAs except AWM, and includes central government departments, agencies and local authorities with an interest in the costal towns' agenda. It was formed earlier this year.
	RDAs have also been working in co-operation with DCMS and CABE to coordinate engagement with the Sea Change programme (DCMS capital investment fund for seaside resorts to improve the arts, public space, cultural assets and heritage projects). The RDAs in partnership with local authorities are identifying suitable transformational projects to be taken forward by each region either individually or by matching with other funding streams, such as Single Programme, ERDF or Heritage Lottery Funding.
	Set out in the list are examples of activities and interventions by RDAs designed to support coastal towns in their regions. More detailed activities, by region, can be found on relevant RDA Website or the RDA National Secretariat website.
	 NWDA
	In the North West, NWDA produced a North West coastal strategy "A New Vision for North West Coastal Resorts" in 2003 which provides the framework for agency support for coastal towns in the region. Specific activity in the last 12 months includes:
	In Southport, Completion of the Lord Street Area improvement initiative where the RDA contributed £2.6 million in total; ongoing support for the refurbishment of Southport Floral Hall and Theatre to be completed in March 2009 with a total RDA contribution of £4.4 million; and support for the acquisition of Pleasureland amusement park by Sefton Metropolitan borough council with a total RDA contribution of £2.7 million.
	In Morecambe, NWDA has signed a Resort Action Plan with the local authority to provide the framework for Morecambe's regeneration including contributing funding to the restoration of the Midland Hotel, feasibility work for the refurbishment of Morecambe Winter Gardens and is in discussion with Lancaster city council about further plans for the continued regeneration of Morecambe.
	In Blackpool, NWDA has been providing ongoing support for ReBlackpool, the Urban Regeneration Company and the main delivery mechanism for Blackpool's regeneration.
	 One North East
	In Blyth, the RDA has invested significantly in an internationally recognised centre of new and renewable energy research (NaREC) and has stimulated a cluster of innovative manufacturing around this critical new economic sector.
	In other areas, such as Seaham, a former colliery town with significant economic challenges, the RDA has invested in place based regeneration and supported the attraction of businesses through business accommodation projects and public realm investment.
	 SEEDA
	SEEDA, with partners, produced a Coastal South East Framework in 2008 that is reflected within both the Regional Economic Strategy and Corporate Plan of the agency. This identifies a number of actions to support regional and local action including;
	Identifying a number of the regions coastal areas as priority places for investment and growth: Hastings, Margate and Dover for major regeneration, whilst Portsmouth and Urban South Hampshire is one of the initial MAAs and a Diamond for Investment and Growth.
	Brighton and Hove, West and East Sussex and Thames Gateway Kent are identified as a Diamond and a potential MAA.
	Supporting new university campuses in Hastings, Folkestone and Bognor Regis; and major infrastructure projects in Hastings, Southampton and Chatham Maritime. Pam Alexander, the CE, Chairs the Margate Renewal Partnership, and the agency has restructured, strengthening the Area Teams, to support work in priority places.
	 SWRDA
	In the south-west the RDA is:
	Investing £6.6 million into a £11.3 million programme of public realm work improvements along Weymouth seafront. The intention is to target the key gateways onto the seafront, create new high quality spaces and routes along the seafront and replace/upgrade existing buildings. Weymouth and Portland is the Olympic sailing venue host and the improvements will upgrade the image of the resort in time for the Olympics and provide a legacy for the town post 2012.
	 Yorkshire Forward
	The refurbishment of the Bridlington Spa Complex was completed early 2008 and discussions are continuing with regard to the redevelopment of the Marina.
	Cleethorpes Renaissance Programme: work has been completed on the Lakeside Arena and is in the process of commissioning a strategic development framework for the whole of Cleethorpes.
	Hornsea has been prioritised as part of the Rural Enterprise Programme and the RDA is working with East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Hornsea Town Council to develop an area specific investment plan.
	 EEDA
	Contributed £6 million in Kings Lynn to a £23 million programme to support the comprehensive redevelopment of 50ha of Brownfield land for a mixed use development scheme. Project involves the construction of new link road, associated infrastructure, new homes and integration with the town.
	In Great Yarmouth, ongoing support for construction of breakwaters and associated maritime access works to form a new outer harbour for Great Yarmouth providing roll-on/roll-off facilities for freight and passenger services and general cargo handling;
	In Lowestoft, 1st East provided core funding for regeneration plans for the waterfront areas of the town;
	Ipswich Waterfront supporting a scheme to upgrade and bring back into fuller public use the dockside roadways which lie within the conservation area and are not part of the public highway.
	In Southend, supporting the Renaissance Southend programme by co-funding the town centre Area Action Plan (AAP) and the seafront AAP as part of the Local Development Framework process.
	 EMDA
	Allocated £2 million, under the LEADER approach element of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), to the East Lindsay coastal action zone and is working with Boston Borough and South Holland District Councils to develop their RDPE programme;
	Provided capital funding to public realm work in Mablethorpe; and
	Working with the owners of Fantasy Island theme park at Skegness on their continued development plans.

Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make it his policy to exempt the Royal National Lifeboat Institution from payment of radio licence fees; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: RNLI pay Ofcom an annual licence fee for their use of VHF radios. As RNLI is a charity whose object is the safety of human life in an emergency, it currently receives a 50 per cent. reduction to its licence fee and there are no plans to remove or reduce this discount.
	The Government commissioned Professor Martin Cave to conduct an independent audit of radio spectrum holdings. All the recommendations were accepted by the Government including the agreed Government policy that users should pay market rates to use spectrum, to incentivise more efficient use of spectrum that is an increasingly scarce resource.
	Ofcom is now implementing this policy and is considering the response received to their consultation document "Applying spectrum pricing to the Maritime and Aeronautical sectors". This allowed those affected the opportunity to give their views to Ofcom on the proposals and any additional cost burdens.
	During the consultation, concerns were expressed about the potential impact of the proposals on the licence fees to be paid by RNLI . As clarification, Ofcom have stated that under their proposals it is possible that RNLI's spectrum fees may actually fall compared to the current level.
	Ofcom are now considering all the responses received to their consultation and undertaking an impact assessment about the effects of the proposals. This should include the impact on charities such as RNLI. Ofcom have said they will carry out a further consultation before any changes to VHF licence fees are introduced.

Unfair Practices: Credit

John Battle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many cases of unfair credit relationships have been brought in county courts since the implementation of the Consumer Credit Act 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	Her Majesty's Courts Service does not collect data on actions commenced under particular Acts. Instead data are collected on the basis of the type of remedy sought, for example, specified/unspecified money claims or possession. Therefore I am unable to provide the information requested.
	The Consumer Credit Act 2006 amends the Consumer Credit Act 1974. The 1974 Act set out the framework for regulating consumer credit supply and the hire of goods in the United Kingdom. In addition, the Act regulates the supply of credit and hiring of goods to individuals where the credit provided or payments for hire do not exceed a specified limit (currently £25,000). The Act further imposes a system of trading controls through regulation of both general business activities of traders that constitute the consumer credit and hire industry and controlling methods of seeking business. Control over agreements is done through the regulation of individual consumer credit or consumer hire agreements.
	The aim of the Government's reform of the 1974 Act was to give further protection to consumers in addition to creating a fairer and more competitive credit market.

TREASURY

Christmas Bonus: Children

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the one-off payment of £70 for children with disabilities, announced in the Pre-Budget Statement of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, column 503, what estimate he has made of the number of disabled children eligible for the payment; and what estimate he has made of the total cost to the Treasury of these payments.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
	Around 300,000 disabled children are expected to be eligible for the Christmas bonus this financial year. We expect the total cost of the payments to this group, including the £60 extra payment on top of the regular £10 Christmas bonus, to be around £20 million.

Derbyshire Offshore: Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander

John Butterfill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether the Financial Services Authority insisted that the Derbyshire Building Society consult its depositors in respect of the sale of its Isle of Man subsidiary to Landsbanki;
	(2)  whether the Financial Services Authority insisted that existing depositors should have the right to withdraw their deposits as a condition of the sale of the Derbyshire Building Society's Isle of Man subsidiary to Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1902W.

Economic Situation: EU Action

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the cost to the public purse of the EU Economic Recovery Plan agreed on 12 December 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Government welcomes the Commission's European Economic Recovery Plan.
	Part of the Plan is to increase the overall EC budget by €5 billion in 2010 and 2011. The UK's current pre-abatement financing share of the EC budget is 15.8 per cent.

Peacekeeping Operations: Afghanistan

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total cost has been of the British operations in Afghanistan in each year since 2001; and what the anticipated costs are for each of the next five years.

Yvette Cooper: Details of the costs of military operations, including in Afghanistan, are published annually in the Ministry of Defence's annual report and accounts and in the Department's parliamentary supply estimates.
	Forecasts of operational costs in future years are not published

Portman Building Society: Landsbanki

John Butterfill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether the Financial Services Authority insisted that the Portman Building Society consult its depositors in respect of the sale of its Guernsey subsidiary to Landsbanki;
	(2)  whether the Financial Services Authority insisted that existing depositors should have the right to withdraw their deposits as a condition of the sale of the Portman Building Society's Guernsey subsidiary to Landsbanki;
	(3)  what measures the Financial Services Authority took to safeguard depositors in the Portman Building Society's Guernsey subsidiary.

Ian Pearson: Portman Building Society ("Portman") did not sell its Guernsey deposit taking subsidiary (Portman Channel Islands Ltd.) to Landsbanki.
	Portman sold this subsidiary in April 2007 to the Scarborough Building Society which renamed the company Scarborough Channel Islands Ltd. Scarborough Building Society continues to own this subsidiary.

Public Sector: Pensions

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on the affordability of public sector pension schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Treasury receives a wide range of representations from various sources on different aspects of public sector pension schemes. The latest Government projections, published in the Long Term Public Finance Report (LTPFR) alongside the March 08 Budget, show that expenditure on public service pensions should remain a relatively small and sustainable fraction of GDP.

Tax Havens: Research

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent estimate he has made of the likely cost of the research to explore customer experiences of the Offshore Disclosure Facility;
	(2)  what recent estimate he has made of the likely cost of each consultant interview under the research to explore customer experiences of the Offshore Disclosure Facility;
	(3)  how many customers are to be interviewed as part of the research to explore customer experiences of the Offshore Disclosure Facility;
	(4)  what the purpose of the research to explore customer experiences of the Offshore Disclosure Facility is; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 12 January 200 9
	HMRC are not proceeding with this research study. A review of the proposed study has suggested that it is unlikely to meet its aims.
	The Offshore Disclosure Facility in 2007 led to the collection of £400 million.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Carers' Benefits

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many  (a) carers and  (b) carers providing more than (i) 20 hours and (ii) 35 hours per week of care are receiving incapacity benefit; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many  (a) carers and  (b) carers providing more than (i) 20 hours and (ii) 35 hours per week of care who are receiving incapacity benefit also have underlying entitlement to carer's allowance; and if he will make a statement;

Jonathan R Shaw: It is estimated that the number of adult carers in receipt of incapacity benefit is 200,000. Of these it is estimated that 100,000 provide more than 20 hours of care per week.
	Sample sizes are too small to yield reliable results for the number of adult carers in receipt of incapacity benefit providing more than 35 hours of care per week.
	The information required to determine underlying entitlement for carer's allowance is not collected.
	 Notes:
	1. The Family Resources Survey is a nationally representative sample of approximately 26,000 households.
	2. Data for 2006-07 were collected between April 2006 and March 2007.
	3. In the Family Resources Survey carers are defined as 'people involved in the provision of any regular service or help to someone in or outside their household who is sick, disabled or elderly'.
	4. 35 hours is the minimum hours of care that need to be supplied for a single individual to qualify for Carer's Allowance.
	5. The figures are based on a sample of households which have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors which align the Family Resources Survey to Government Office Region populations by age and sex. Estimates are subject to sampling error and remaining non-response error.
	6. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100,000.
	 Source:
	Family Resources Survey 2006-07

Crimes of Violence

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many reported assaults there were on staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) each of his Department's agencies in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: DWP takes the safety of its staff seriously. In 2006 we undertook a review of our unacceptable customer behaviour procedures and introduced a "zero tolerance" approach, encouraging staff to report all incidents however minor.
	The Department serves over 20 million customers. Every working day we interview over 45,000 customers as we help them prepare for work, we visit 3,000 people in their own home and answer over 300,000 telephone calls to our help lines.
	The following table provides the information requested for DWP reported assaults broken down to show each of the Department's Agencies. Traditionally, DWP collect and report assault data by financial year rather than calendar year. The information is broken down into three distinct types of assault: actual, attempted and verbal (abuse and threats).
	
		
			  April 2005 to March 2006 
			  DWP by business  Actual  Attempted  Verbal  Total 
			 Jobcentre Plus 399 1,134 8,820 10,353 
			 The Pensions Service 0 0 29 29 
			 Disability and Carers Service 0 0 43 43 
			 Child Support Agency 0 0 1 1 
			 DWP Total 399 1,134 8,893 10,426 
		
	
	
		
			  April 2006 to March 2007 
			  DWP by business  Actual  Attempted  Verbal  Total 
			 Jobcentre Plus 583 1,017 12,640 14,240 
			 The Pensions Service 1 0 29 30 
			 Disability and Carers Service 0 0 1 1 
			 Child Support Agency 0 0 8 8 
			 DWP total 584 1,107 12,678 14,279 
		
	
	
		
			  April 2007 to March 2008 
			  DWP by business  Actual  Attempted  Verbal  Total 
			 Jobcentre Plus 453 1,156 13,359 14,968 
			 The Pensions Service 0 0 27 27 
			 Disability and Carers Service 0 0 57 57 
			 Child Support Agency 0 0 21 21 
			 DWP total 453 1,156 13,464 15,073

Departmental Contracts

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will ensure that his Department does not enter into contracts with faith-based organisations which have policies and procedures which do not comply with equalities legislation;
	(2)  what his Department's policy is on whether contracts may be awarded to faith-based organisations which engage the exemptions for religious organisations provided for by the  (a) Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 and  (b) Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003;
	(3)  what measures are in place to ensure religious organisations working under contract with his Department do not discriminate in their employment practices on grounds of  (a) religious belief or  (b) sexual orientation.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department has a separate contract with an independent external organisation to check that providers have appropriate diversity and equality policies in place; these checks are made before contracts are awarded, and repeated annually thereafter.
	Contracts are awarded in accordance with existing EU and UK law including those relevant to equality including faith and sexual orientation. Successful suppliers to the Department are required to act lawfully and in accordance with relevant legislation including any provisions regarding unlawful discrimination, and exceptions regarding genuine occupational requirements and proportionality. A potential supplier failing to agree to the terms of contract would not be successful at contract award.
	The compliance of external providers with standards of diversity and equality is regularly monitored by my Department's contract management staff. Contracts can be terminated in the event of a serious breach of these standards.

Departmental Correspondence

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) letters and  (b) e-mails received by his Department had not been responded to as at 15 December 2008.

Jonathan R Shaw: In dealing with correspondence, the Department does not differentiate between letters and emails. However, no central record is held of the vast number of letters and e-mails the Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies receives and deals with; this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members' and peers' correspondence. Information relating to 2008 will be published as soon as it has been collated. The report for 2007 was published on 20 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 71-74WS. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library.

Departmental Data Protection

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what encryption controls his Department has in respect of  (a) portable data storage devices and  (b) key databases.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department has adopted appropriate industry best practice security controls, including encryption, in respect of its portable data storage devices and key databases. It is not in the public interest to describe those controls. I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 17 December 2008,  Official Report, column 826W, which sets out the Department's approach to data and information security.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department's customer information system was accredited to Government security standards in accordance with measures set out in the report Data Handling Procedures in Government: final Report and the document Cross Government Actions: Mandatory Minimum Measures.

Jonathan R Shaw: The requirements for accreditation set out in the Data Handling Procedures in Government: Final Report, relate to new systems introduced after 1 July 2008. The Customer Information System was first accredited for compliance with the Department's Information System Security Standards in 2005 and is currently undergoing re-accreditation.

Departmental Fraud

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of internal fraud there have been in  (a) each section of his Department and  (b) each of his Department's agencies in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: Information is not available in the exact format requested. I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 3 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 804-05W. We are able to provide the breakdown of staff in each agency in 2003-04 and 2004-05 as set out in the following table. From 2005-06 onwards HM Treasury reporting requires details at departmental level only. This analysis is consistent with the way in which the Department reports to HM Treasury on internal fraud.
	
		
			  Business  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Jobcentre Plus 73 40 — — — 
			 Pension Service 7 6 — — — 
			 Disability and Carers 7 1 — — — 
			 Child Support Agency 4 2 — — — 
			 Other 10 3 — — — 
			 Total 101 52 170 144 172 
			 Number of DWP employees 130,786 126,988 119,972 114,500 107,998

Departmental Fraud

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) staff and  (b) contractors with (i) each section of his Department and (ii) each of his Department's agencies have been disciplined for fraudulent activity in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: Information on the numbers of  (a) staff and  (b) contractors with (i) each section of the Department for Work and Pensions and (ii) each of the Department's agencies that have been disciplined for fraudulent activity in each of the last five years is not available in the format requested.
	The Department introduced a new personnel computer system incrementally from November 2006, being fully implemented by April 2007. Information is not available from this system prior to April 2007.
	The Department for Work and Pensions records the numbers of staff disciplined for fraudulent activity under the general heading of "Fraud, Theft and Loss of DWP funds". No additional information has been recorded to break down this information further. To extract more detailed information from individual records under the category requested would be at disproportionate cost. The information provided in the following table shows the number of staff disciplined under the category "Fraud, Theft and Loss to DWP funds" since April 2007 by departmental agency.
	The Department does not collect statistical data on employees working for the Department's contracted providers because they are not employees of the Department and disciplinary action is a matter for the contracting organisation as an employer. The Department does take action to recover any inappropriately claimed funding as a result of actions by contractors' staff, although no central records of this are kept.
	
		
			  Agency  1 April 2007-31 March 2008  1 April 2008-17 December 2008  Agency total 
			 Corporate Centre 1 1 2 
			 Pensions and Disability Carers Service 0 2 2 
			 Jobcentre Plus 6 4 10 
			 DWP total 7 7 14

Departmental ICT

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which of his Department's computer systems use  (a) real time and  (b) batch interfaces for the transfer of data between departmental computer systems.

Jonathan R Shaw: Most of the Department's IT Systems use both real time and batch interfaces for the transfer of data between its and other departments' computer systems.
	It would not be in the public interest to disclose details of the applications and arrangements that govern data transfer. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 17 December 2008,  Official Report column 826W, which sets out the Department's approach to data and information security.

Departmental ICT

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of  (a) system maps,  (b) user guides,  (c) project initiation documents from the time of implementation,  (d) system notes and  (e) interface details/charts for financial and non-financial IT systems in place within (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 11 December 2008
	The Department has 149 major application systems, the documentation for which often contains information which may be prejudicial to the security of those systems and its disclosure would not be in the public interest. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 17 December 2008,  Official Report column 826W, which sets out the Department's approach to data and information security.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many special advisers were employed in his Department at each pay band on 30 November 2008; and what his Department's total expenditure on special advisers was in 2007-08.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government are committed to publishing an annual list detailing the number and costs of special advisers. Information for 2007-08 was published by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 99-102WS.

Departmental Sick Leave

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many days staff took as sick leave in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last three years for which figures are available; what the average number of days of sick leave per member of staff was in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Information held for the current and previous two years is contained in the following tables.
	
		
			  2008-09 
			  Business  Working days lost  Average working days lost per staff year 
			 Jobcentre Plus 643,445 9.7 
			 Disability and Carers Service 52,429 9.6 
			 The Pension Service 100,445 9.4 
			 Other, including central directorates 73,781 6.8 
			 DWP 870,100 9.3 
		
	
	
		
			  2007-08 
			  Business  Working days lost  Average working days lost per staff year 
			 Jobcentre Plus 671,915 10.1 
			 Disability and Carers Service 61,155 10.6 
			 The Pension Service 112,953 9.7 
			 Child Support Agency 126,607 12.4 
			 Other, including central directorates 79,930 8.1 
			 DWP 1,052,557 10.1 
		
	
	
		
			  2006-07 
			  Business  Working days lost  Average working days lost per staff year 
			 Jobcentre Plus 803,900 11.1 
			 Disability and Carers Service 68,841 12.1 
			 The Pension Service 124,943 10.0 
			 Child Support Agency 152,208 13.9 
			 Other, including central directorates 106,265 9.8 
			 DWP 1,256,157 11.1 
			  Notes:  1. DWP is unable to report precise part year data for the current financial year because its computer system is configured to calculate sickness absence levels using a rolling 12 months' data. The figures for 2008-09 are therefore based on data from December 2007 (rather than April 2008) to November 2008 inclusive. November 2008 is the latest month for which figures are available.  2. Up to 2006-07, average absence levels per staff year were reported annually by the Cabinet Office. The average figures for 2006-07 derive from the report "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service 2006-07". All other data in the tables, including those for working days lost, reflects information currently held on DWP's internal personnel computer system.  3. The averages shown are the average per full-time staff year, rather than per employee, to take account of part-time workers.  4. Any difference between the sum of the agency figures and the total for DWP is due to rounding.

Industrial Health and Safety

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the rate of under-reporting of workplace health and safety incidents in Scotland in the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: In relation to the under reporting of workplace health and safety incidents in Scotland:
	there is near 100 per cent. reporting of incidents resulting in fatalities;
	the estimated proportion of reportable non-fatal injuries to employees in Scotland which were actually reported to HSE or to local authorities in the period 2003-04 to 2007-08 was 45 per cent. (95 per cent. confidence interval: 40 per cent. to 52 per cent.).
	In addition to formal RIDDOR reports HSE receives information on incidents from a variety of other sources.

Industrial Health and Safety

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Health and Safety Commission prosecutions there were against directors and managers of companies alleged to have committed health and safety breaches in each of the last five years, broken down by sector; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government recognise the need for robust enforcement of health and safety law, and prosecution of offenders where there is the supporting evidence and it is in the public interest to do so. Prosecution is one aspect of the current arrangements, involving a mix of legislation, enforcement and voluntary guidance, which serve to focus directors' and senior managers' attention on their responsibilities for health and safety, and to influence their behaviour.
	Health and Safety Executive prosecutions in each of the last five years against individual directors and other officers and members of corporate bodies, via s.37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act, is given in the following table.
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Guilty 13 6 8 17 8 
			 Not guilty 2 2 3 0 0 
			 Adjourned/not concluded 0 0 0 5 2 
			 Withdrawn/not taken 2 4 1 0 3 
			 Total 17 12 12 22 13 
		
	
	A sector break-down is not readily available and its provision would involve a disproportionate cost.

Jobcentre Plus: Expenditure

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much expenditure his Department has incurred in providing Jobcentre Plus services in each of the last 10 years, broken down by district.

Jonathan R Shaw: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how much expenditure his Department has incurred in providing Jobcentre Plus services in each of the last 10 years, broken down by district. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The inception of Jobcentre Plus dates back to 2002 and so figures can only be provided from this date.
	The costs of providing Jobcentre Plus services cannot be broken down by district. This is because a large proportion of our operating costs are not recorded at a district or regional level.
	The net operating costs for Jobcentre Plus can be obtained from the Jobcentre Plus annual report and accounts for each year. They are also shown in the attached table at annex A.
	
		
			  Annex A 
			  £ billion 
			   Net administration costs  Net programme costs  Net operating costs 
			 2002-03 2.95 0.90 3.85 
			 2003-04 3.04 1.01 4.05 
			 2004-05 3.15 1.09 4.24 
			 2005-06 3.46 1.08 4.54 
			 2006-07 3.54 0.95 4.49 
			 2007-08 3.36 — 3.36 
			  Notes: 1 Source of the above information is the Jobcentre Plus annual report and accounts for each year from 2002-3 to 2007-8. 2 Information is shown for each complete financial year since Jobcentre Plus started in 2002. 3 Figures are quoted in nominal terms only. 4 From April 2007, accounting responsibility for employment programmes moved to Welfare Work Equality Group (WWEG) within DWP.

Jobcentre Plus: Resignations

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff have left their posts in Jobcentre Plus after a period of sick leave in each month in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information is not available.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have claimed jobseeker's allowance (JSA) in each quarter since 1997; and what proportion in each quarter had been claiming JSA for  (a) between 0 and 13 weeks,  (b) between 13 and 26 weeks,  (c) between 26 and 39 weeks,  (d) between 39 and 52 weeks,  (e) over 52 weeks and  (f) over 104 weeks.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 15 December 2008
	The available information has been placed in the Library.

Offenders

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many former prisoners are employed by his Department; and what his Department's policy is on employing former prisoners.

Jonathan R Shaw: I am unable to answer how many former prisoners the Department employs as we do not collect or record this information. We would be unable to gather the information as paperwork relating to appointment is destroyed in line with the Data Protection Act.
	 Current policy position
	Our policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders is to employ individuals with unspent convictions wherever it is appropriate to do so. A risk assessment is made on each individual case taking into account the nature of the offence and the appropriateness of recruiting the individual concerned into the specific post on offer. Occasionally it is necessary to refuse employment to ex- offenders but this decision is not taken lightly. The Department is fully compliant with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and with Cabinet Office guidelines.

Pension Credit

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will review the way in which income from savings is taken into account in calculating entitlement to pension credit following the reduction in the Bank rate to two per cent.; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 11 December 2008
	Pension credit disregards savings up to £6,000 (£10,000 for those in a care home). The vast majority of pensioners (around 80 per cent.) who are eligible for pension credit have savings of £6,000 or less and do not have tariff income applied.
	Pension credit rules assume a notional rate of income at a rate of £1 for every £500 (or part of £500) savings held above the £6,000 threshold. This is half the rate assumed for working age benefits and is significantly more generous than those of the previous minimum income guarantee.
	The formula is not intended to represent any rate of return that could be obtained from investing capital. It provides a simple method of calculating the weekly contribution that people with capital in excess of £6,000 (or £10,000 if in a care home) are expected to make from those resources to help meet their normal living expenses.
	Pension credit, through the savings credit, is designed to specifically reward pensioners with low or modest second pensions or savings. Deemed income from capital is also qualifying income for the savings credit.

Pensions: Sheffield

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many pensioners in Sheffield receive their pensions by direct credit to their bank or building society account;
	(2)  how many pensioners in Sheffield collect their pensions from their local post office.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Information available at April 2008 shows that in Sheffield around 62,000 pensioners were being paid their state pension by direct credit to their bank or building society accounts and around 18,500 were being paid into a Post Office card account.
	Many of the 62,000 pensioners paid into a bank account may still choose to collect their cash from the Post Office using one of the 25 or so bank and building society accounts that can be accessed over the counter at Post Office branches.

Queen's Diamond Jubilee

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans his Department has to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

Jonathan R Shaw: My Department has not, at this stage, developed plans on how to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen in 2012.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is in discussions with the Royal Household about how to mark the Diamond Jubilee.

Social Security Benefits: Reform

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of his recently-announced proposals for welfare reform on severely mentally and physically disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The impact on disabled people of all the proposals in our White Paper, Raising expectations and increasing support—reforming welfare for the future, was assessed as part of the wider impact assessment. The measures that have the most direct impact on disabled people are those to do with employment and support allowance and incapacity benefit.
	The impact assessment can be found on the internet at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/welfarereform/raisingexpectations/impact-assessment.pdf

Sunbeds: Safety

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Health and Safety Executive will publish a response to the guidance on controlling the health risks associated with working with UV tanning equipment consultation.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Health and Safety Executive expects to publish the revised guidance leaflet (INDG209) and a summary of the responses to consultation on the draft version early in 2009.

Vertex Data Science

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what contracts his Department has with Vertex Data Science.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department currently has two contracts with Vertex Data Science Ltd., the Management of Clerical Cases Contract for the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission and the National Benefit Fraud Help line Contract for Jobcentre Plus. Vertex is also one of a panel of seven providers to support the recovery of child maintenance arrears, however, the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission has yet to transfer any debt management cases to Vertex under this Framework Agreement.
	Vertex is also being considered for a contract to provide other departmental work. This is currently subject to competitive tender.

Winter Fuel Payments

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the  (a) cost and  (b) administrative expenditure which would be incurred by paying winter fuel payments on a pro-rata basis to those who attain the qualifying age after the qualifying period (i) as a transitional measure in the year 2008-09 and (ii) on average per year from 2008-09.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 12 January 2009
	Entitlement to winter fuel payments is based upon people's circumstances in the qualifying week (set in legislation as 3rd Monday in September). Using the September qualifying week means that the payments can be made before Christmas in time for when winter fuel bills arrive.
	The additional costs incurred by paying winter fuel payments on a pro-rata basis to those who reach the qualifying age during the period after the qualifying week but before the end of the financial year are approximately 40 million in 2008-09.
	As population projections vary considerably in the future, it is not possible to give an average per year figure for the costs.
	No information is collected which would enable the estimation of the administrative expenditure incurred in making payments to persons who attain the qualifying age after the qualifying period.
	 Note:
	Figures are based on 2008 ONS population projections. Costs for any given year will vary with population fluctuations.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

10 Downing Street

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the answer from the Prime Minister of 10 November 2008,  Official Report, column 821W, on 10 Downing Street, for what reason the Cabinet Office has declined to place in the Library a list of the merchandise available in the Downing Street gift shop.

Kevin Brennan: A list of gifts is publicly available and has been placed in the Library of the House.

10 Downing Street

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether prices in the Downing Street gift shop have been reduced to reflect the reduction in value added tax to 15 per cent.

Kevin Brennan: Merchandise prices reflect the VAT rate charged by suppliers at the time of purchase. These gifts are unsubsidised and sold on a not-for-profit basis.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what expert advisers have been commissioned by his Department and its agencies since 1997; on what topic each was commissioned; and whether the advisers so appointed made a declaration of political activity in each case.

Kevin Brennan: The detailed information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Cabinet Office sponsors a number of advisory non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) which provide independent expert advice on a number of issues. Appointments to NDPBs are governed by the principles set out in the Commissioner for Public Appointments' code of practice. Summary information is published in Public Bodies which can be accessed online at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/public/bodies.asp
	or copies are available in the Libraries of the House.
	Summary information on the political activity of individuals appointed to posts regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments' code of practice is published each year in the commissioner's annual report.
	In addition, the Government publish on an annual basis the names and numbers of special advisers in each pay band. For the most recent information, I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 99-102WS.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much has been spent on  (a) departmental Christmas parties and  (b) staff entertainment in the last three years.

Kevin Brennan: The Cabinet Office does not pay for Christmas parties for its staff. The Department's accounting system does not recognise the expenditure category of staff entertainment.

Non-profit Making Associations

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment he has made of the cost-effectiveness of Government policies to build capacity in the third sector.

Kevin Brennan: The NAO has been investigating the effectiveness, impact and value for money of Government investment in building the capacity of the third sector, and plans to report in early February. Both Capacitybuilders and Futurebuilders have commissioned independent evaluation of their programmes. Local third sector infrastructure organisations have benefited from the programmes delivered by Capacitybuilders. Organisations that received Futurebuilders investments subsequently succeeded in winning public service delivery contracts.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Departmental Contracts

Graham Allen: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality with how many faith-based organisations the Government Equalities Office has contracts to provide public services.

Maria Eagle: The Government Equalities Office has no contracts with faith-based organisations.

Mental Illness

Jo Swinson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment she has made of the recommendations relevant to the Government Equalities Office's policy responsibilities made in the Foresight report on Mental Capacity and Well-Being; and if she will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: While I welcome the far ranging nature of the report and its recommendations, I have not carried out a formal assessment of their specific relevance to the work of the Government Equalities Office.

WALES

Charities

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales to which  (a) charities and  (b) voluntary organisations his Department has provided funding in the last five years; and how much funding was provided to each.

Paul Murphy: None.

Departmental Equality

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information his Department holds on the  (a) sex,  (b) ethnicity,  (c) age,  (d) disability,  (e) sexual orientation and  (f) religion or belief of its staff; and what assessment he has made of his Department's performance against its targets relating to diversity in its workforce.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office does not hold information centrally on the  (a) sex,  (b) ethnicity,  (c) age,  (d) disability,  (e) sexual orientation and  (f) religion or belief of its staff.
	The equal opportunities policies used during recruitment delivers the Wales Office a diverse work force without the need to set targets. Levels of diversity are published in our annual report each year. In 2007-08 approximately 14 per cent. of the Office's staff were of ethnic minority groups, and 51 per cent. of staff were female.
	The Wales Office has a small number of staff with disabilities, but in order to maintain confidentiality, numbers are not given. This is in line with Cabinet Office guidance.

Departmental Furniture

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent by his Department on furniture made by  (a) British firms,  (b) Remploy and  (c) overseas firms in each year since 2000.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office generally procures its furniture through Ministry of Justice contracts. The amount the Department has directly spent on furniture from British firms for each financial year since 2005-06 is detailed in the following table. Information for the years prior to 2005-06 could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost. The Department did not directly buy any furniture from Remploy or overseas firms.
	
		
			
			 2005-06 0 
			 2006-07 2,239 
			 2007-08 13,170 
			 2008-09 (1) 
			 (1 )No expenditure to date

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which internet providers his Department uses.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office is provided with its IT services by the Ministry of Justice, including internet access. Users connect to the internet through the Government Secure Intranet service, which is provided by Cable and Wireless.

Departmental Older Workers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many and what percentage of new recruits to his Department were aged over  (a) 55 and  (b) 60 years in 2007-08.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office does not require applicants for its posts to provide their dates of birth.
	This information is therefore not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Wales Office has a number of staff in post that are above the ages of  (a) 55 and  (b) 60 respectively.

Departmental Pay

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to ensure that those temporary and permanent employees at the same grade in his Department who are paid at an hourly rate are paid at the same rate.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office does not employ contracted staff (either fixed term or permanent) at hourly rates. Fixed term and permanent staff are paid on the same pay scales to ensure fairness.
	Temporary agency staff are paid at the hourly rate set by their employer (the agency) and not by the Wales Office. The Wales Office does not routinely use agency staff.

Departmental Telephone Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many telephone numbers for which callers are charged at the rate applicable to 0845 numbers are used by his Department for public access to services.

Paul Murphy: None.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which companies were used by his Department for providing temporary staff in each of the last five years; and what the value of contracts with each such company was in each of those years.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office does not have any contracts with employment agencies to provide temporary staff.
	The Wales Office has occasionally needed to employ temporary staff, and in the last five years these have been provided by Kelly Services, Adecco and Acorn.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the 600 million of aid pledged to Afghanistan in June 2008 he expects to be spent in each year to 2012-13.

Michael Foster: At the Paris donor conference on 12 June the UK pledged 800 million, of which 613 million was new money, towards the international development effort in Afghanistan (2009-10 to 2012-13). This figure comprises contributions from the Department for International Development (DFID), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the Afghanistan Drugs Interdepartmental Unit (ADIDU), and the tri-departmental Stabilisation Aid Fund (SAF).
	In 2008-09 DFID expects to disburse 123 million in Afghanistan. Due to the humanitarian, security and political situation our future programme must be flexible, therefore there is no fixed disbursement for the coming years. However, we fully expect to meet our 460 million share of the Paris pledge by 2012-13.
	The FCO, ADIDU and SAF allocations for Afghanistan beyond this financial year have not yet been finalised for the same reason. The FCO and ADIDU are planning to spend around 25 million in 2008-09. In addition Afghanistan has been allocated 48 million under the SAF for the same year.

Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports he has received on the  (a) likelihood and  (b) likely extent of famine in Afghanistan; what assessment he has made of Afghanistan's need for aid this winter; and if he will make a statement

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has received reports that the food-security situation is fragile however there is no indication of an imminent famine.
	DFID works closely with other donors to assess Afghanistan's need for food aid. In 2008 the World Food Programme (WFP) launched two appeals to which DFID contributed a combined total of 11 million. The WFP has already delivered 96 per cent. of the 36,000 metric tonnes of food designated to vulnerable people in Afghanistan. The WFP confirmed that there is sufficient food in the pipeline until March 2009.
	DFID is monitoring the situation with other partners and considering further support to the WFP beyond March 2009.

Bosnia: Overseas Aid

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid his Department has given to Bosnia and Herzegovina in each year since 1997; and how it has been used.

Michael Foster: Details on the Department for International Development's (DFID) bilateral expenditure and imputed share of multilateral official development assistance (ODA) in Bosnia-Herzegovina since 1997-98 are in the following table.
	
		
			  DFID expenditure on development in Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1997-98 to 2007-08 
			  000 
			   Total DFID bilateral expenditure  Imputed DFID share of multilateral ODA 
			 1997-98 1,501 30,697 
			 1998-99 2,599 12,954 
			 1999-2000 4,143 14,512 
			 2000-01 3,383 10,286 
			 2001-02 3,547 12,672 
			 2002-03 6,647 13,862 
			 2003-04 6,754 9,549 
			 2004-05 5,224 10,568 
			 2005-06 3,282 6,625 
			 2006-07 3,975 8,199 
			 2007-08 4,905  
		
	
	DFID's aid has been focused on socio-economic development, supporting activities under the UK Government through the global conflict prevention pool (GCPP) and de-mining activities.
	Key programme objectives are to strengthen the capacity of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Government in their path towards EU integration. We specifically support:
	the development of an aid co-ordination mechanism;
	the development of Country Development Strategy processes;
	strengthening the budgetary process;
	public administration reform;
	economic, fiscal and social policy reform, including social insurance policy;
	support to the national justice sector reform strategy;
	strengthening Government statistical systems;
	the business enabling environment, and
	good donor practices.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many contracts his Department has which allow contractors to store personal data of UK citizens overseas; for which contracts this applies; in which countries the data for each contract is held; and how many people have their data stored overseas in the case of each such contract.

Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development does not have any contracts with IT suppliers that allow them to store the personal data of UK citizens overseas.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when his Department appointed a senior information risk owner in accordance with the report, Data Handling Procedures in Government and the accompanying document Cross-departmental Actions: Mandatory Minimum Action; when the appointment was made; and what grade the person holds within the Department.

Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development has had a senior information risk owner since the role was introduced in 2004. There were no changes to the role as a result of the introduction of the Data Handling Procedures in June 2008. The individual currently holding the role is a director in the senior civil service.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of the IT systems in his Department is fully accredited to the Government's security standards.

Ivan Lewis: To date 81 per cent. of the Department for International Development's IT Systems are fully accredited to the Government's security standards. A project is under way to review and accredit the remaining 19 per cent. of IT systems and this is scheduled to finish in March 2009.

Departmental Furniture

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent by his Department on furniture made by  (a) British firms,  (b) Remploy and  (c) overseas firms in each year since 2000.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not record details of the nationality of firms providing furniture, and such information cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost. DFID has not procured any furniture from Remploy.
	All expenditure is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental ICT

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what information technology projects initiated by his Department have been cancelled prior to completion in the last five years; and what the cost of each such project was to the public purse.

Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development cancelled an internal information technology project run by DFID Pakistan in September 2008. The project had spent 7,000 at the point of cancellation.

Guyana: Rain Forests

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to assist in preservation of rainforest in Guyana.

Michael Foster: Following a visit to the UK by President Jagdeo earlier this year, DFID committed 100,000 towards work by Guyana to develop a low-carbon investment prospectus and implementation plan. This includes an assessment of the cost of conserving Guyana's rainforests. Guyana has also secured funding under the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Fund, to which the UK has contributed 15 million, to prepare a Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation Readiness Plan. Guyana is included in the Caribbean Regional Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change. In addition, we have undertaken to discuss with Guyana the results of the Eliasch Review into climate change and the financing of forests.
	DFID officials will meet this month with Guyanese counterparts to discuss the creation of incentives to avoid deforestation.

International Assistance

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department plans to contribute to the International Fund for Agricultural Development in the next three years.

Michael Foster: Planned contributions to the International Fund for Agricultural Development in the next three years are made up of overlapping contributions to the 6(th), 7(th) and 8(th) Replenishments:
	
		
			   
			  Replenishment  2009-10  2010-11  2011-12 
			 6(th) (2004-06) 4,000,000   
			 7(th) (2007-09) 9,703,750 8,317,500  
			 8(th) (2010-12)  10,000,000 11,930,000 
			 Total 13,703,750 18,317,500 11,930,000

North Korea: Overseas Aid

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid the Government have provided to North Korea in each of the last 10 years; how much is planned to be provided; and what the  (a) purpose and  (b) nature of this aid is.

Michael Foster: Details on the UK's bilateral expenditure and imputed share of multilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) in North Korea over the last 10 years are in the following table.
	
		
			  UK gross public expenditure on development to North Korea, 1998-99 to 2007-08 
			  000 
			   UK bilateral assistance  Imputed UK share of multilateral ODA 
			 1998-99 306 5,888 
			 1999-2000 638 3,493 
			 2000-01 887 3,835 
			 2001-02 2,119 2,372 
			 2002-03  6,715 
			 2003-04 712 2,878 
			 2004-05 712 2,573 
			 2005-06  1,932 
			 2006-07  998 
			 2007-08 732  
		
	
	Of the UK's bilateral assistance, 83,000 in 2000-01, 42,000 in 2001-02 and 30,000 in 2007-08 was provided in support of English language training. In 2007-08, 53,000 was provided to support economic and development planning. All other UK bilateral expenditure was provided as humanitarian assistance.
	There are currently no plans for DFID to start a bilateral programme in North Korea.

Overseas Aid: Wildlife Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes exist in the British Indian Ocean Territories to promote biodiversity and conservation.

Michael Foster: The Overseas Territories Environment Programme, jointly funded by the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, supports biodiversity conservation in UK Overseas Territories. To date seven projects have been funded in the British Indian Ocean Territory, of which two are being funded in the current financial year. These are:
	(i) Royal Navy Birdwatching Society: monitoring of seabird populations at key sites to assess the impact of rodent eradication efforts;
	(ii) Chagos Conservation Trust: publication of a public information note on the global environmental importance of the Chagos archipelago and ways in which visitors can help protect the unique environment. The information note is intended for distribution to visiting military and civilian personnel.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Animal Welfare

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is his Department's policy to seek to reduce the financial support for intensive livestock production methods.

Jane Kennedy: It has long been the case that the intensive livestock production sectors such as the pig, poultry and egg industries have been unsupported by direct EU subsidies. The legal basis for intervention in the pigmeat sector was removed in the recent CAP Healthcheck agreement in Brussels, a measure which the UK supported.

Bees

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2008,  Official Report, column 123W, on insects, if he will publish the assessment his Department has made of recent trends in the populations of wild bees.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Trends in the distributions of wild bee populations were published in the 'Provisional Atlas of the Aculeate Hymenoptera of Britain and Ireland' by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee are currently collating and analysing data on population trends for all UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species including bees. This information will be available in the spring.

Cardiff-Weston Barrage

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the costs of flood protection and alterations to sewage disposal facilities required as a result of the construction of  (a) Cardiff-Weston barrage and  (b) a Shoots barrage.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government-led Severn Tidal Power Feasibility Study is considering the opportunities to generate power from the tidal range of the Severn Estuary.
	The first phase of the study has concentrated on identifying the issues associated with the 10 possible projects under consideration. As such, no estimates have been made to date of costs of each of the options in respect of flood protection or sewage treatment. If the study should continue into Phase 2, more detailed assessments of possible impacts and costs of each of the short listed options will take place.

Climate Change

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of its capacity to adapt to climate change; and what plans he has to publish a climate change adaptation strategy.

Huw Irranca-Davies: In July 2008, the cross-Government Adapting to Climate Change Programme published Adapting to climate change in Englanda framework for action which set out the Government's strategy for adaptation and the work-plan for the cross-Government Programme for the next three years. This programme increases Government's capacity to adapt by ensuring a co-ordinated approach across all Departments and the public sector, and overall responsibility for it rests with DEFRA. Information about the programme and its work can be found at:
	www.defra.gov/adaptation
	This includes taking forward work flowing from the Climate Change Actincluding a national Climate Change Risk Assessment and cost benefit analysis which will inform future priorities for the statutory adaptation programme that will then begin in 2012.
	The Government's longer term strategy on adapting to a changing climate will be set out in this statutory National Adaptation Programme, which will be reviewed and updated on a five year rolling basis in response to updated risk assessments, and report to Parliament.
	In addition, DEFRA is continuing with its work looking at how a changing climate impacts each of the policy areas it has responsibility for, as well as working towards embedding adaptation into its corporate and policy decision making processes across the Department.

Coastal Areas: Departmental Coordination

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to improve its arrangements for co-ordination with other Government Departments of policy affecting coastal towns in the last two years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: We continue to work closely with other Government Departments to improve the process for co-ordinating the development of policy in coastal areas.
	This year an important development has been the Coastal Towns Working Group, a cross-departmental group, which was set up in February 2008, following the House of Commons Select Committee Inquiry on Coastal Towns.
	DEFRA plays a key role in this group which aims to coordinate its efforts to develop policies and address the challenges faced by coastal towns and to promote cross-Government understanding of the needs of coastal towns by looking at social, environmental and economic issues together.
	There are a wide range of policy areas, activities and initiatives within Government which have implications for coastal towns. To show how these activities, including the Marine and Coastal Access Bill, will contribute to a more coordinated approach to decision making at the coast, we will be publishing a strategy for promoting an integrated approach to the management of coastal areas in England, in January 2009.

Departmental Correspondence

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) letters and  (b) e-mails received by his Department had not been responded to as at 15 December 2008.

Huw Irranca-Davies: From 1 January to 15 December 2008, DEFRA's Customer Contact Unit handled 37,979 pieces of correspondence. This included e-mails received via the DEFRA Helpline and letters from MPs, stakeholders and the public. We responded to 82 per cent. with the 15 working day target.
	As at 15 December 2008, 1624 letters and 515 e-mails received via the DEFRA Helpline were unanswered. Of those unanswered, 700 were over the 15 working day target.
	The number of unanswered e-mails, received elsewhere in DEFRA, cannot be provided within the disproportionate cost limit, as to do so would require gathering information from every official in the Department.
	The Cabinet Office publishes an annual report to Parliament on the performance of departments in replying to Members'/Peers' correspondence. Information relating to 2008 will be published as soon as it has been collated. The report for 2007 was published on 20 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 71-74WS. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House.

Departmental Data Protection

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many civil servants in his Department have been  (a) investigated,  (b) suspended and  (c) dismissed for (i) losing and (ii) deliberately disclosing (A) data stored on departmental equipment and (B) confidential information in each year since 1997.

Huw Irranca-Davies: There have been five fewer such disciplinary breaches in the Department since 1997. The details are withheld on the grounds of confidentiality.

Departmental Energy

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to reduce the amount of energy it wastes.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government's delivery plan for 'Sustainable Procurement and Operations on the Government Estate', published in August 2008, provides a full account of the initiatives Departments are taking to reduce their energy waste. The Government have committed to updating the delivery plan on a six monthly basis, and the first of these updates was published on 18 December 2008.

Departmental Equality

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information his Department holds on the  (a) sex,  (b) ethnicity,  (c) age,  (d) disability,  (e) sexual orientation and  (f) religion or belief of its staff; and what assessment he has made of his Department's performance against its targets relating to diversity in its workforce.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA holds data on the sex, ethnicity, age and disability of its staff. Information on these aspects of diversity as at 30 September 2007 is available from the Office of National Statistics at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/Civil_service_tables_2007.xls.
	Departmental data are at tables 12 (Sex), 22 (Ethnicity), 29 (Age) and 25 (Disability).
	Additionally, information on sexual orientation and religion and belief is collected through the anonymous DEFRA staff survey.
	DEFRA aims to be visibly and culturally diverse at all levels. We have set targets for the representation of women, disabled people and ethnic minorities in the senior civil service (SCS) in support of the civil service diversity strategy, 'Promoting Equality, Valuing Diversity', and these are set out in the table.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   2008 DEFRA current position  DEFRA target for 2011 
			 Women 26.2 38 
			 Women in top management posts 22.0 33 
			 Disabled 2.7 5.0 
			 BME 2.2 5.0 
		
	
	DEFRA has also made a commitment to set targets during 2009 for grades immediately below the SCS, and also for more junior grades where there is under representation.

Departmental Furniture

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by his Department on furniture made by  (a) British firms,  (b) Remploy and  (c) overseas firms in each year since 2000.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Estates Divisions, Space Utilisation Team, hold furniture expenditure records dating back to FY 2003-04. Details are:
	
		
			
			  FY 2003-04  
			 British firms 549,220.00 
			 Remploy 0.00 
			 Overseas firms 203,948.00 
			   
			  FY 2004-05  
			 British firms 1,277,627.00 
			 Remploy 0.00 
			 Overseas firms 176,788.00 
			   
			  FY 2005-06  
			 British firms 1,071,242.00 
			 Remploy 0.00 
			 Overseas firms 6,189.00 
			   
			  FY 2006-07  
			 British firms 111,039.00 
			 Remploy 0.00 
			 Overseas firms 6,189.00 
			   
			  FY 2007-08  
			 British firms 95,017.00 
			 Remploy 0.00 
			 Overseas firms 0.00 
			   
			  FY 2008-09  
			 British firms 218,432.00 
			 Remploy 0.00 
			 Overseas firms 0.00

Departmental Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints about advertisements sponsored or funded by his Department were made to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in each year from 1997 to 2008; and how many of these were upheld by the ASA in each year.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA was formed in 2001. Since then, 57 complaints about advertisements sponsored or funded by DEFRA were made to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). None of these complaints were upheld by the ASA.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what expert advisers have been commissioned by his Department and its agencies since 1997; on what topic each was commissioned; and whether the adviser so appointed made a declaration of political activity in each case.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The information requested could be provided only by incurring disproportionate cost.

Departmental Pay

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what bonuses were paid by his Department in 2007-08; to which members of staff; and for what purposes.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I would refer the right hon. Member to the reply given on 4 November 2008,  Official Report, column 395W, to the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson).

Departmental Pay

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to ensure that those temporary and permanent employees at the same grade in his Department who are paid at an hourly rate are paid at the same rate.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Department does not employ any permanent staff who are paid at an hourly rate.

Departmental Pensions

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department and its agencies are members of the  (a) Classic,  (b) Classic Plus,  (c) Nuvos and  (d) Premium civil service pension schemes.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The following tables provide the figures for each organisation. Data for Core DEFRA, RPA, CEFAS and VLA are from the pension administrator's database, data for CSL was taken from their internal HR database. All data is as of the October payroll update.
	
		
			  Core DEFRA (including Animal Health, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Marine and Fisheries Agency and the Government Decontamination Service) 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 Total staff 5,016  
			 Classic 2,833 56.5 
			 Classic Plus 254 5.1 
			 Premium 1,518 30.3 
			 Nuvos 210 4.2 
		
	
	
		
			  RPA 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 Total staff 3,555  
			 Classic 1,782 50.1 
			 Classic Plus 138 3.9 
			 Premium 1,090 30.7 
			 Nuvos 273 7.7 
		
	
	
		
			  CEFAS 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 Total staff 889  
			 Classic 364 40.9 
			 Classic Plus 32 3.6 
			 Premium 190 21.4 
			 Nuvos 67 7.5 
		
	
	
		
			  CSL 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 Total staff 652  
			 Classic 335 51.4 
			 Classic Plus/Premium 256 39.3 
			 Nuvos 29 4.4 
		
	
	
		
			  VLA 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 Total staff 1,342  
			 Classic 711 53.0 
			 Classic Plus 54 4.0 
			 Premium 401 29.9 
			 Nuvos 41 3.1

Environment Protection: Greater London

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he next plans to meet the Mayor of London to discuss the environmental strategy for London.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Neither myself nor the Secretary of State are scheduled to meet with the Mayor of London to discuss this matter. However, the Minister for Sustainable Development and Energy Innovation, Lord Hunt, shall be meeting with him on 12 January 2009 to discuss air quality within the context of the western extension to the London congestion charge zone.

Environment Protection: Transport

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to promote walking and cycling along routes of the canal system  (a) throughout the UK and  (b) in London.

Huw Irranca-Davies: British Waterways works with a wide range of partners to promote walking and cycling, such as local authorities and Sustrans. It actively promotes walking and cycling on its towpaths throughout England and Wales through its website Waterscape as well as through an on-going promotional campaign to encourage people to use their local canals.
	My Department is currently carrying out a review of the Government's waterways policy document Waterways for Tomorrow. The revised strategy will highlight the public benefits that our canal network can provide in terms of health and recreation and will consider opportunities for further promoting walking and cycling. We are liaising with the Department of Health and the Department for Transport (DFT) through the inter-departmental group on inland waterways to promote the use of the canal network in healthy living campaigns and sustainable transport initiatives respectively.
	DFT has been promoting walking and cycling to local authorities in England (excluding London) through the Local Transport Plan process since 2000. The Mayor of London is responsible for walking and cycling routes in London. The October 2007 report by the Inland Waterways Advisory Council (IWAC) on Waterways for Tomorrow stated as an important achievement Funding from local authorities has helped to improve towpaths for walking and cycling. In addition, many of the DFT funded 18 cycling demonstration towns and three sustainable travel towns together with match funding from these local authorities are developing canal towpaths for walking and cycling.

Fish: River Severn

Martin Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what species of fish inhabit the Severn Estuary; and which are listed as endangered.

Huw Irranca-Davies: A list of fish species known to occur in the Severn estuary is provided as follows. This list includes marine species (based on sampling in Bridgewater Bay, inner Bristol channel, between 1980 and 2008), diadromous species known to migrate through the Severn estuary and freshwater species reported to occur in the upper estuary.
	The species marked by an asterisk are either afforded legal protection or are designated as threatened or endangered by conservation forums.
	
		
			  Common name  Scientific name 
			 Allis shad Alosa alosa* 
			 Anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus 
			 Anglerfish Lophius piscatorius 
			 Ballan wrasse Labrus bergylta 
			 Bass Dicentrarchus labrax 
			 Black goby Gobius niger 
			 Black sea bream Spondyliosoma cantharus 
			 Blonde ray Raja brachyuran 
			 Blue whiting Micromesistius poutassou 
			 Bream Abramis brama 
			 Brill Scophthalmus rhombus 
			 Brown (Sea) trout Salmo trutta 
			 Chub Leuciscus cephalus 
			 Cod Gadus morhua* 
			 Common carp Cyprinus carpio 
			 Common goby Pomatoschistus microps 
			 Common sand eel Ammodytes tobianus 
			 Common sea snail Liparis liparis 
			 Conger eel Conger conger 
			 Corkwing wrasse Crenilabrus melops 
			 Crucian carp Carassius carassius 
			 Crystal goby Crystallogobius linearis 
			 Cuckoo wrasse Labrus mixtus 
			 Dab Limanda limanda 
			 Dace Leuciscus leuciscus  
			 Dover sole Solea solea 
			 Dragonet Callionymus lyra 
			 Eel Anguilla anguilla* 
			 Fifteen-spined stickleback Spinachia spinachia 
			 Five-bearded rockling Ciliata mustela 
			 Flounder Platichthys flesus 
			 Garfish Belone belone 
			 Golden mullet Liza aurata 
			 Goldsinny wrasse Ctenolabrus rupestris 
			 Greater pipefish Syngnathus acus 
			 Greater sand eel Hyperoplus lanceolatus 
			 Grey gurnard Eutrigla gurnardus 
			 Gudegon Gobio gobio 
			 Hake Merluccius merluccius 
			 Herring Clupea harengus 
			 Hooknose (Pogge) Agonus cataphractus 
			 Horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus 
			 John dory Zeus faber 
			 Lemon sole Microstomus kitt 
			 Lesser-spotted dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula 
			 Lesser weaver Echiichthys vipera 
			 Ling Molva molva 
			 Lumpsucker Cyclopterus lumpus 
			 Nillson's pipefish Syngnathus rostellatus 
			 Northern rockling Ciliata septentrionalis 
			 Norway pout Trisopterus esmarkil 
			 Painted goby Pomatoschistus pictus 
			 Pearlside Maurolicus muelleri 
			 Perch Perca fluviatilis 
			 Pilchard Sardina pilchardus 
			 Piper Trigla lyra 
			 Plaice Pleuronectes platessa  
			 Pollack Pollachius pollachius 
			 Poor cod Trisopterus minutus 
			 Pout Trisopterus luscus 
			 Raitt's sandeel Ammodytes marinus 
			 Red mullet Mullus surmuletus 
			 River lamprey Lampetra fluviatalis 
			 Roach Rutilus rutilus 
			 Rock cook Centrolabrus exoletus 
			 Rock goby Gobius paganellus 
			 Rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus 
			 Saithe Pollachius virens 
			 Salmon Salmo salar* 
			 Sand goby Pomatoschistus minutus 
			 Sand smelt Atherina boyeri 
			 Scaldfish Arnoglossus laterna 
			 Sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus* 
			 Silver bream Abramis bjoernka 
			 Smalleyed ray Raja microocellata 
			 Snake pipefish Entelurus aequoreus 
			 Solenette Buglossidium luteum 
			 Sprat Sprattus sprattus 
			 Tadpolefish Raniceps raninus 
			 Ten-spined stickleback Pungitus pungitus 
			 Thicklipped grey-mullet Chelon labrosus 
			 Thinlipped grey-mullet Liza ramada 
			 Thornback ray Raja clavata 
			 Three-bearded rockling Gaidropsarus vulgaris 
			 Three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus 
			 Tompot blenny Parablennius gattorugine 
			 Topknot Zeugopterus punctatus 
			 Transparent goby Aphia minuta 
			 Trigger Fish Balistes capriscus 
			 Tub gurnard Chelidonichthys lucernus 
			 Turbot Psetta maxima 
			 Twaite shad Alosa fallax* 
			 Whiting Merlangius merlangus 
			 Witch Glyptocephalus cynoglossus 
			 Worm pipefish Nerophis lumbriciformis

Flood Control

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which recommendations of the Pitt Review  (a) his Department and  (b) the Environment Agency have implemented.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government have made significant progress in implementing the recommendations of Sir Michael Pitt's review of the summer 2007 floods. The Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs made a statement to the House of Commons and published the Government's response to the review on 17 December 2008. It sets out what has already been done and a clear action plan for the remaining steps to deliver against the challenging agenda identified by Sir Michael. The Government's response can be viewed at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/floods07/Govtresptopitt.pdf.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on developing a single set of guidance for local authorities and the public on the use and usefulness of sandbags and other alternative means of flood water management; and when such guidance will be published.

Huw Irranca-Davies: As part of the response to Sir Michael Pitt's report on the summer 2007 floods, the Government announced that the Environment Agency's guidance on the use of sandbags will be updated by the Agency and made available to the Government, the public and local authorities by February 2009. The Environment Agency is developing additional guidance on self-help home protection measures for householders, businesses and building contractors who may fit them. This guidance will be developed by summer 2009.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Environment Agency with  (a) insurance companies and  (b) the water industry on sharing information to facilitate the management of flood risk.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government agreed a new Statement of Principles with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) in summer 2008. The agreement requires the Environment Agency to provide information to insurance companies through the ABI. The Environment Agency assures me that it is making good progress to meet its obligations under the statement.
	The Environment Agency has been working with water utilities and Water UK on a national protocol for sharing flood data.

Flood Control: Databases

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether flood risk address information will be made available  (a) publicly and  (b) to interested parties.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency makes information from its National Flood Risk Assessment available to the public via their website. This information can be searched by postcode and provides an indication of flood risk for areas rather than particular properties. On payment of a small charge, the Environment Agency will also provide any more detailed information that it holds, but again this generally relates to areas rather than properties.
	Information from the National Flood Risk Assessment is also supplied to insurers and other organisations.

Flood Control: EC Law

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made towards the implementation of the EU Floods Directive.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Floods Directive came into force on 26 November 2007 and member states have two years in which to transpose the Directive into domestic law. DEFRA is co-ordinating the transposition of the Directive into UK law and is ultimately responsible for its timely and compliant implementation. A UK Floods Directive liaison group monitor progress against the project timetable.
	Given that the Directive largely mirrors our existing approach to flood risk mapping and planning in England, we are developing proposals that build on these arrangements, taking into account forms of flooding that were previously not mapped, such as surface water, groundwater and reservoirs. Our current proposals are to transpose the Directive through the Floods and Water Bill.
	The transposition will be subject to a full public consultation, which is expected to take place during 2009.

Flood Control: Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the Statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, column 495, on the pre-Budget report, how much of the 3 billion of capital spending brought forward will be spent on flood defences; when he expects the funding to be available; what type of projects it will be spent on; whether any of the funding had been previously announced; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: 20 million of the capital funding announced for flood and coastal erosion risk management in 2010-11 will be brought forward to 2009-10. The Environment Agency estimate that 27,405 households will benefit from new or improved flood risk protection a year earlier than planned.
	Funding will be allocated by the Environment Agency. The exact location of households benefiting will be dependent upon schemes passing the necessary feasibility studies and planning applications, as well as final approval for projects, which will be determined in February 2009. The Environment Agency has issued a list of schemes expected to be brought forward as a result. Copies of the list have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Flood Control: Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the management of local flood risk by local authorities will be funded.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Local authorities are already funded to manage local flood risk through the revenue support grant. In addition, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced a further 15 million over three years (2008-09 to 2010-11 inclusive) to fund priority local authorities to tackle local flood risk in areas most prone to surface water flooding.

Flood Control: Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the funding which his Department is making available to implement the Pitt Review recommendations will be allocated; and by what date such allocation will take place.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Annex B in The Government's Response to Sir Michael Pitt's Review of the Summer 2007 Floods provides a complete breakdown of the allocation of funding to implement the recommendations. Annex C sets out the timetable for taking work forward. Both annexes can be viewed at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/floods07/Govtresptopitt.pdf.

Flood Control: Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding his Department will provide for  (a) the Environment Agency,  (b) the water industry and  (c) local authorities to develop tools and techniques to model surface water flooding.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA is providing the Environment Agency with 8.5 million over three years (2008-09 to 2010-11 inclusive), on top of the funding already announced for the Environment Agency over the period, to take forward their elements of the Pitt Review action plan including the development of tools and techniques to model surface water flooding. DEFRA is not providing funding for either the water companies or for local authorities for this purpose as surface water modelling is part of the Environment Agency's new strategic overview role.

Flood Control: Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with local authorities on collating and mapping main flood risk management and drainage assets; and what funding his Department has allocated to such activities.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA has been working closely with local authorities to improve the management of surface water including funding 15 Integrated Urban Pilot Projects to test approaches to surface water management. The results of this work have been used to produce guidance for the development of surface water management plans.
	Local authorities also comprised the majority of the respondents to the DEFRA consultation on Improving Surface Water Drainage (February 2008) which is now being used to inform policy development.
	On 17 December, after an open expression of interest exercise, DEFRA announced that six local authorities had been chosen to develop 1st Edition Surface Water Management Plans using the new guidance.
	Local authority input into the Pitt Review was high and as part of the response to the Review a survey of local flood risk management was conducted by the Local Government Association (LGA) and DEFRA. The aim of the survey was to establish the current and future capacity of local authorities to undertake the lead role on the management of local flood risk as proposed by the Pitt Review. There was a high response rate from local authorities to the survey. Two follow up workshops for local authorities are being organised by DEFRA and the Local Government Association to discuss the findings.
	The Government's response to the Pitt Review, announced on 17 December 2007, includes 15 million from the Pitt fund and an estimated total of 12 million that local authorities are expected to spend in this area from existing budgets in 2009-10 and 2010-11 to deliver local authority leadership on flood risk management in the 50 highest priority areas. This includes surface water management plans, mapping of drainage assets and oversight and maintenance of sustainable drainage systems for new development.

Flood Control: Urban Areas

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what  (a) water safety and  (b) other environmental regulations are in place to prevent public access to grassed areas above covered reservoirs; if his Department will encourage water companies to allow such access, with particular reference to urban areas with limited access to green space; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Covered reservoirs can exist as part of the water supply network, and where these do exist, they have been subject to an appropriate level of fencing and security protection.
	Under the Security and Emergency Measures Direction, guidance is issued to water companies by the Security Service on the issues they should be considering in order to protect their infrastructure and the standards that they should work to.
	Public access to such sites is denied for many reasonsso that it does not compromise water quality, public safety or essential maintenance activitiesand this may lead to a conflict between public access and operational requirements.

Flooding Lessons Learned Review

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress has been made on implementing the recommendations contained in the Pitt report on flooding; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government have made significant progress in implementing the recommendations of Sir Michael Pitt's Review of the summer 2007 floods. The Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs made a statement to the House of Commons and published the Government's response to the Review on 17 December 2008. It sets out what has already been done and a clear action plan for the remaining steps to deliver against the challenging agenda identified by Sir Michael. The Government's response can be viewed at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/floods07/Govtresptopitt.pdf

Floods: Risk Assessment

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress the Environment Agency has made on assessing the risk of flooding from  (a) surface water,  (b) ground water flood risk and  (c) coastal flood risk.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency has made the following progress on assessing the risk of flooding.
	 (a) The Environment Agency issued maps to the 47 local resilience forums in England and Wales in August 2008 indicating the areas likely to be most susceptible to surface water flooding. This followed an urgent recommendation from the Pitt Interim Report that the Government accepted.
	 (b) The Environment Agency has established groundwater monitoring arrangements in the chalk aquifers across England and is developing a database of all historic records of groundwater flooding to share with local resilience forums.
	 (c) The Environment Agency undertakes regular assessments of the risk of flooding from rivers and the sea through its national flood risk assessments. The Environment Agency's website provides the latest assessment of the probability of flooding in a particular area including coastal and tidal flooding. The second round of shoreline management plans (covering erosion and flood risk) are under way and are due to be completed in 2010. There are 20 plans in England with the first due to be approved shortly covering the Tees to Flamborough area. A number of detailed strategies have been developed, and are in development, including the Humber Strategy and the Thames Estuary 2100.

Geographical Information Systems

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1015W, on geographical information systems, which Government bodies will participate in the provision of data to the national geo-portal.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Implementation of a national geo-portal is being considered among the options for INSPIRE. If a national geo-portal is implemented, it is envisaged that all Government bodies including the devolved Administrations and local authorities across the UK would be given the opportunity to participate in the provision of data.

Gifts

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many members of staff in his Department have received gifts valued at 100 or higher in the course of their duties in each of the last three years; what these gifts were; and from whom they were received.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) does not hold a central record about gifts received by all staff. The Department therefore is not in a position to provide the requested information without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The rules and guidance on receipt of gifts by civil servants are set out in the Civil Service Management Code, and within the DEFRA staff handbook which is accessible to all staff.

Inland Waterways

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with British Waterway's on progress towards its target to expand its waterways network in the Cotswolds by 2012.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I meet with British Waterways regularly to discuss the best strategy for the waterways network.
	The Government support British Waterways' ambitions to expand the network where this will assist in achieving clear additional public benefits. This is provided such expansion does not compromise British Waterways' ability to maintain the existing network through creating additional on-going financial liabilities. Engagement in restoration projects is a matter for its Board to decide, given the need for careful assessment of costs and British Waterways' statutory position.
	The Cotswold Canals restoration project is now being taken forward by the Cotswold Canals Partnership. British Waterways is no longer a lead partner in this project but continues to provide expertise.

Nature Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken in conjunction with other countries on the monitoring and implementation of international conservation projects in the last six months.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Department's main programme supporting international conservation initiatives is the Darwin Initiative, a grants programme launched at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. The Darwin Initiative funds collaborative projects to assist countries rich in biodiversity but poor in financial resources to implement their biodiversity-related commitments. It has committed over 65 million to 601 projects in 146 countries.
	The Edinburgh Centre for Tropical Forests monitors and evaluates the progress of the Darwin Initiative on DEFRA's behalf to assess whether the Initiative is: achieving its objectives and meeting its key criteria; having a lasting impact and legacy on biodiversity in host countries and helping them to meet their obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity; and whether it is representing good value for money.
	The monitoring and evaluation exercise is carried out with the involvement of the UK-based and the host-country based organisations carrying out each project.

Nature Conservation: Wind Power

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department is conducting on the effect on bat populations of onshore wind turbines; how much funding has been provided for such research; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: A project has been approved to establish whether and to what extent bat populations are at risk from on-shore wind turbines. A specification for desk-based research and to establish survey protocols as phase 1 of a contract will go out to tender in January. Phase 2 of the contract will undertake field survey activity from August for up to three years.
	To ensure we do not compromise the tender process we cannot specify what funding has been allocated to this work until contracts have been let.

Nitrate Zones: Gloucestershire

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will review his policy on nitrate zones in and around Gloucestershire; if he will allow additional time for appeals; what steps his Department has taken to inform farmers of the creation of new nitrate zones; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The EC nitrates directive requires member states to review their designations of nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs) every four years and to revise them as necessary. Reviews of NVZs in England are conducted at the national scale and the last review was undertaken in 2006-07. Regulations giving effect to the recent review were laid in September 2008 and come into force on 1 January 2009.
	The regulations also establish that owner-occupiers can appeal against the designation of their land within an NVZ, and set the deadline for submitting an appeal as 31 January 2009. The independent appeals panel charged with determining appeals has powers under the regulations to accept information submitted beyond this deadline.
	My Department wrote to all farmers identified as likely to be in an NVZ in October. A number of press notices and information bulletins have been issued highlighting the introduction of the new regulations and advising farmers to check published maps of the new NVZs. These and other awareness-raising activities are ongoing.

Religious Buildings: Fees and Charges

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  with reference to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill), of 12 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1229W, on religious buildings: fees and charges, whether an assessment of the effect on the voluntary sector of changes to charges on places of worship was made;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the average water bill for church premises;
	(3)  what checks Ofwat undertakes; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that water companies do not gain additional revenue from new methods of charging.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Neither DEFRA nor Ofwat, the independent economic regulator of the water industry, collects information on the increases in water bills for groups of customers of a particular funding or charitable status. Where a company makes a change to the way it charges for water or sewerage services, Ofwat challenges the company's proposals to make sure charges are not unduly preferential to one customer group over another. Groups of customers are defined by the costs they are likely to impose and are independent of the financial or charitable status of individual non-household customers. Ofwat's checks also ensure that the company gains no additional revenue from the new method of charging.
	Part of Ofwat's duty is to approve companies' charges schemes. These schemes outline how water and sewerage companies will charge their customers. It is for the company to decide on its methods of charging. When a company introduces new tariffs, Ofwat check that these are consistent with price limits and company licence conditions.
	Each year Ofwat checks water company charges principal statements to make sure the weighted average increase in all of the company's charges does not exceed the company's price limits, for customers using less than 50 mega-litres per annum.

Rights of Way

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much land has been designated under section 16 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000; how much of this has been designated for the use of  (a) walkers,  (b) cyclists,  (c) horse riders and  (d) other equestrians; and at what locations land has been so designated.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Section 16 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW) allows voluntary dedication by land owners and long leaseholders of public access rights over their land. To date 156,246 hectares of land has been dedicated in this way for public use on foot.
	The same section allows a voluntary dedication to extend the CROW rights to include a right for the public to ride horses or cycles as well as a right of access on foot. To date there has been only one dedication of this kind, which created access rights for horse riders over 0.25 hectares of land in East Riding of Yorkshire. As yet there has been no such dedications of cycling rights.
	Detailed information on the locations of the areas of land affected by dedications to date for access on foot cannot be provided, except at disproportionate expense, but the areas of land will normally be displayed as part of the open access land shown on Natural England's 'countryside access' website.

Rights of Way: North West

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much land under the Countryside and Right of Way Act 2000 has been allocated to  (a) walkers,  (b) cyclists and  (c) horseriders in (i) Chorley, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) the North West.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The access land mapped under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW) for public use on foot includes 1,752 hectares in Chorley, 37,941 hectares in Lancashire and 278,860 hectares in the North West of England. CROW created no new general rights of access for horse riders or cyclists, and there is no central record of any voluntary extension of the access rights over the land in question to include cyclists or horse riders.

Rural Development Programme: North West

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding the Rural Development Programme has committed to projects in the North West in the last 12 months.

Huw Irranca-Davies: holding answer 15 December 2008
	Responsibility for project funding under the Rural Development Programme for England 2007-13 has been devolved to regional development agencies. In the last 12 months, the North West Regional Development Agency has committed funding to programmes and projects to the value of 29,259,851. This figure is made up of 567,972 to fund legacy commitments from the previous England Rural Development Programme which closed in 2006, and 28,691,879 committed to new activities under the Rural Development Programme for England.

Seals: Conservation

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to include measures to prohibit the shooting of seals in the Marine and Coastal Access Bill.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Seals are currently protected in England by the Conservation of Seals Act (1970). Under this Act, it is an offence to take or kill common and grey seals out of season. The Act also allows for the Secretary of State, if it appears necessary for the proper conservation of seals, to designate an area within which the killing, injuring or taking of seals is prohibited.
	Seals also receive protection under European law through Council Directive 92/43/EEC, known as the 'Habitats Directive'. This directive requires EC member states to introduce a range of measures for the protection of habitats and species listed in its annexes. Seals feature as an Annex II qualifying species and therefore, within special areas of conservation (SACs) designated for the purpose of conserving seals, competent authorities are required to take appropriate steps to avoid significant disturbance to the species or deterioration of their habitat.
	Presently, 12 SACs list grey seals as a species interest, and 11 SACs list common seals. Further information on these SACs can be found on the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) website.
	The Marine and Coastal Access Bill will provide us with a range of measures to protect nationally important marine features; one such measure is the introduction of marine conservation zones (MCZs). If seals were listed as a protected feature of an MCZ, they would be protected from deliberate damage, injuring, killing, taking and so onincluding shootingwithin that site, and competent authorities would be required to control activities to ensure any conservation objectives set for the site are not significantly hindered.

Seas and Oceans: Biodiversity

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of  (a) flora and  (b) fauna population trends on UK marine reefs.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Reefs are a feature under the Habitats Directive (encompassing rocky reef and biogenic reef) and as such, its parameters are reported for Favourable Conservation Status (FCS). The Status is determined for Area, Range, Structure and Function, and Future prospects.
	For the 2007 reporting of FCS, the Common Standards Monitoring work undertaken by the country agencies was used to provide data for the last two parameters. However, this was essentially a baseline assessment, rather than pure monitoring, as many areas have only been surveyed once.
	The overall judgement for reefs was 'unknown' for all parameters as there was no basis upon which to judge possible trends. It is likely that when the next report is due (in five years' time) we will have more idea of trends.
	Results of the UK's FCS reporting can be found on the European Environment Information and Observation Network (Eionet) website at:
	www.eionet.europa.eu.

Sewers

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding his Department plans to provide to enable  (a) local authorities to meet their responsibilities for adopting and maintaining new build and re-developing sustainable drainage systems and  (b) water companies to meet their new responsibilities to adopt and maintain private sewers and lateral drains.

Huw Irranca-Davies: We are exploring funding options for the long-term maintenance of sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) adopted by local authorities. Any net new burdens on local authorities will be fully funded.
	The cost to water and sewerage companies of maintaining private sewers and lateral drains following their transfer from 2011 will be met through charges to customers generally, as is the case with the rest of the public sewerage infrastructure for which they are responsible.

Sewers

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with  (a) Ofwat and  (b) the water industry on how to achieve risk-based standards for public sewerage systems.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA maintains regular contact with Ofwat on the development of Surface Water Management Plan guidance and associated local authority responsibilities. Surface Water Management Plans will inform the development of standards for the existing sewerage system reflected in water company investment programs.
	DEFRA also chairs a stakeholder working group including Ofwat and Water UK (the representative body for the water industry) which is examining a design and construction standard for new sewers. Currently the water industry is harmonising their various company standards and expect to present them to the working group in spring 2009.

Sewers

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with  (a) Ofwat and  (b) the water industry on funding of flood protection for critical infrastructure at risk of flooding.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The statutory Social and Environmental Guidance to Ofwat published in draft in February 2008, and in final form in September 2008, made clear that in their business plans water companies are expected to consider the resilience of their assets and that Ofwat is expected to ensure companies are able to invest in essential works. Ofwat has also issued guidance for water companies on flood risk assessment and identification of priority investments in preparation for the 2009 price review. The proposals in company business plans are now being scrutinised by Ofwat as part of the price review for 2010 to 2015.

Stray Dogs

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost to the public purse of kennelling stray dogs has been in each year since the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 was implemented; and what estimate he has made of those costs in the next three years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA does not collect the data requested.
	On 6 April 2008, section 68 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act relieved the police of the responsibility of dealing with stray dogs. Since the commencement of the Act, additional funding of 4 million a year, through the revenue support grant for the three years of the comprehensive spending review period, has been provided to local authorities in England and Wales to cover the additional costs of providing an out of hours service for stray dogs.

Stray Dogs

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many local authorities provide kennelling facilities for the use of stray dogs only;
	(2)  how many local authorities offer a 24 hour, seven day per week service for catching and kennelling stray dogs; what provision local authorities make for the management of stray dogs where no such continuous service is provided; and what recent guidance his Department has issued on the provision of such services;
	(3)  how many dog wardens are employed by local authorities;
	(4)  how many stray dogs have been kennelled by local authorities in each of the last three years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA does not collect the data requested.
	Guidance on local authorities' duties regarding stray dogs was published in October 2007 and can be found on the DEFRA website.

Tidal Power: River Severn

Martin Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with angling and fishing organisations on the impact of a Severn barrage on fish stocks in the Severn estuary and associated waters.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Neither the Secretary of State nor I have had any such discussions with angling or fishing organisations, but the matter was raised with me at a meeting I had with the chairs of the Environment Agency's Regional Fisheries, Ecology and Recreation Advisory Committees on 4 December.

Tidal Power: River Severn

Martin Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what input his Department has had to the Government's Severn Tidal Power Feasibility study.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA has played a central role in contributing advice to the cross-Government Severn Tidal Power Feasibility Study, in particular regarding the potential environmental impacts of a tidal power scheme in the Severn. The Department is working closely with Natural England, the Government's statutory conservation adviser, which has provided supporting scientific evidence and advice on environmental issues.
	The Secretary of State is a member of the Severn Tidal Power Ministerial group, and DEFRA officials represent the Department on the project board that oversees the Severn Tidal Power Feasibility Study. Some members of DEFRA and Natural England staff have also been seconded into the Severn Tidal Power team within the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Water

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the volume of water lost to leaks through water pipes on an annual basis; and how much he estimates is lost through leaks from water pipes of each individual water company.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Water companies report annual leakage figures to Ofwat in June as part of their annual regulatory returns. Figures reported for 2007-08 show that total water company leakage was 3,291 Megalitres/day, down from 5,112 Megalitres/day in 1994-95. In 2007-08 all water companies met their leakage targets and total industry leakage fell by 3.7 per cent (127 Megalitres/day) on a like for like basis from 2006-07 levels.
	Leakage performance for individual companies in 2007-08 is as follows(1):
	(1) Numbers may not add due to rounding.
	
		
			  Performance 2007-08 
			   Megalitres/day 
			 Anglian 210 
			 Bournemouth and W Hants 22 
			 Bristol 53 
			 Cambridge 13.9 
			 Dee Valley 10.3 
			 Dwr Cymru 205 
			 Essex and Suffolk 68 
			 Folkestone and Dover 7.9 
			 Mid Kent 27 
			 Northumbrian 135 
			 Portsmouth 30 
			 Severn Trent 490 
			 South East 69 
			 South Staffordshire 72 
			 South West 84 
			 Southern 83 
			 Sutton and East Surrey 24 
			 Tendring Hundred 5.0 
			 Thames 715 
			 Three Valleys 140 
			 United Utilities 460 
			 Wessex 72 
			 Yorkshire 295 
			   
			 Industry Total 3,291

Water Charges

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the methodology approved for use by water companies to estimate assessed charges for water bills.

Huw Irranca-Davies: There is no such methodology. Companies are responsible for deciding individual charges. Ofwat, the economic regulator of the water and sewerage sector in England and Wales, approves companies' charges schemes each year and checks that water company charges are consistent with licence conditions.

Water Charges

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what means are in place to ensure that Ofwat can regulate and check that water companies carry out the work required of them to allow price increases after the Ofwat Price Review; and what powers Ofwat has to enforce compliance.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Ofwat provides each water company with a detailed report setting out what the company must deliver for customers over the price review period. These reports act as detailed documents outlining outputs and deliverables which the company must achieve with the price limits set.
	Ofwat undertakes annual monitoring of company performance and will take action where companies fail to deliver on the required improvements. Ofwat's powers to impose financial penalties on water and sewerage companies came into effect on 1 April 2005. The powers were introduced in the Water Act 2003.

Water Charges

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy that water companies be allowed to spend any additional revenue accrued through water charges following the price review on protection for critical infrastructure from flooding.

Huw Irranca-Davies: It is the responsibility of water companies to include proposals in their business plan for protecting critical infrastructure. Ofwat, as the economic regulator, will review companies' proposals and set price limits, getting the best deal for the customer, while ensuring companies can deliver a safe and secure water supply.

Water Charges: EC Law

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the proposed increases in water charges will reflect the work required to be undertaken by water companies to comply with the EU water framework directive.

Huw Irranca-Davies: As part of the process of the Periodic Review of Water Prices 2009 (PR09) DEFRA has issued a Statement of Obligations which brings together and describes the key statutory obligations that apply to water and sewerage undertakers. This includes the Water Framework Directive (WFD).
	Water companies have included some measures to meet the requirements of the WFD in their draft business plans. However, all necessary WFD measures to be delivered by 2015 will not be known until River Basin Management Plans have been consulted on and are finalised in December 2009.
	Water companies have to submit their final business plans to Ofwat in April 2009 and as such it is possible that the WFD measures that companies are required to deliver will change. If so, the Environment Agency, DEFRA and Ofwat will work together through the Change Protocol to ensure that the changed requirements of the WFD can be delivered by 2015.

Water Companies

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that water companies consider the need for climate change adaptation in their business plans; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Water companies submitted their draft business plans to Ofwat in August. They will submit final business plans to Ofwat in April 2009.
	DEFRA has issued statutory Social and Environmental Guidance to Ofwat. This sets out the key social and environmental policies that the Government expect Ofwat to contribute to in carrying out their role as the independent economic regulator of the water industry. This includes climate change adaptation. A copy is available on the DEFRA website.

Water Companies

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that water companies consider in their business plans the objectives of  (a) reducing per capita consumption of water and  (b) increasing water efficiency; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: In August 2008, DEFRA issued Social and Environmental Guidance to Ofwat, the economic regulator for the water companies in England and Wales. The guidance sets out key areas of social and environmental policy that the Government expect Ofwat to contribute to, including in relation to reducing water demand and increasing water efficiency. The guidance is one of the means by which the priorities of the Government's water strategy for England, Future Water, can be delivered. The guidance is available on the DEFRA website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/water/industry/review/pdf/ofwat-guidance080922.pdf

Water Companies: Debts

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has received on the issue of bad debt on the part of water companies.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Minister of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Jane Kennedy), met Water UK on 18 November 2008. A range of issues were discussed, including bad debt in the water industry.
	The problem of bad debt is being examined as part of the Walker review of charging for household water and sewerage services. The interim report is expected in spring 2009.

Water Companies: Flood Control

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers he intends to give to local authorities to ensure that water companies do all necessary work for which they are responsible as part of flood prevention programmes.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Local authorities will be key players in future flood risk management, particularly for surface runoff and groundwater flooding, and for managing its interaction with other sources of flooding.
	The Pitt review makes it clear that success will depend on greater co-ordination and co-operation between local partners, and the Government look to these partners to work together closely to establish the most effective arrangements depending on local circumstances.
	The Government believe that these objectives will be best met if new partnership arrangements are established to bring together county, unitary and district authorities, the Environment Agency (EA), water companies, sewerage undertakers and other bodies including internal drainage boards, working together to secure effective and consistent management of local flood risk in their areas. It is proposed that these partnerships are underpinned by a new duty on all partners to co-operate and share information with local authorities and the EA. We would expect these organisations to work together to decide the best arrangements for delivery on an area by area basis, taking account of their current roles and capacities. Local authorities working together will have specific responsibilities for effective management of local flood risk from surface water runoff, groundwater and ordinary water courses.

Whales: Japan

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Japanese counterpart on whaling.

Huw Irranca-Davies: While I have not yet held any discussions with representatives of the Government of Japan on this matter, the UK has consistently voiced its opposition to Japanese scientific whaling, most recently at the meeting of the 'Small Working Group', charged with taking forward discussions on the future of the International Whaling Commission, held in Cambridge from 8-10 December 2008.

Wood

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will instruct the Forestry Commission to conduct a comprehensive survey of wood availability and use in the UK in 2009 in conjunction with the wood processing industry.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Forestry Commission is already working with the wood processing industry and private sector growers to generate robust estimates of wood availability and use. This ongoing work includes a new inventory of British woodlands, to be undertaken over the next five years, in order to define how much wood is potentially available and how fast it is growing. In addition, data will be collected on both current timber harvesting and deliveries to the wood processing sector.
	It will be important to ensure that the final outputs provide a sound evidence base for both policy formulation and also to help to inform future private sector investment. To achieve this, it is essential to have good quality inventory work, which takes time to complete. Nevertheless, the Forestry Commission is planning to publish details of softwood availability and use, which is the area of most immediate interest to the wood processing industry, in 2011.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Allotments

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to increase the supply of allotments.

Iain Wright: Government statute and guidance provides the framework for the supply of allotment at the local level.
	The provision of allotments is the responsibility of local authorities. Section 23 of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 places a duty on local authorities (except for inner London boroughs) to provide allotments where they perceive a demand for them in their area.
	In addition, 'Planning Policy Guidance 17: Sport, Open Space and recreation', encourages local authorities to assess the needs of their communities for a range of open spaces, (including allotments) and to address deficiencies. It also suggests that authorities should allocate sites within their plans for the provision of new open spaces. PPG 17 advises local authorities to use the information gained from their assessments of needs and opportunities to set locally derived standards for the provision of open space, sports and recreation facilities in their areas.

Community Relations

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which grievances referred to on page 36 of the report The Prevent Strategy: A Guide for Local Partners in England published in June 2008 resonate most at  (a) a local level and  (b) a regional or national level; and which local authorities are most affected.

Vernon Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
	There is no common hierarchy of grievances at local, regional or national level. And hierarchy is difficult to discern when localised grievances such as socio-economic issues are bundled into a single narrative with national issues about Government policies and international issues such as foreign policy.
	As The Prevent Strategy: A Guide for Local Partners in England makes clear on page 70
	...real or perceived grievances may develop about aspects of Government policy (particularly foreign policy), discrimination or racism, lack of social mobility, perceived mistreatment in the criminal justice system and counter-terrorism measures. Perceptions of distorted media representations of communities or conflicts are also relevant. A shared sense of grievance locally, nationally and internationally may reinforce group identity.
	Many people express grievances. But only a tiny minority choose to use them to justify violence, often prompted by radicalisers who exacerbate and selectively exploit grievances to recruit people to their cause. This is why the Prevent strategy aims to address grievances as one of its core elements. Where grievances have substance government should explain its position clearly, setting out what action might already be undertaking. Where concerns arise from misunderstandings or genuine differences of opinion then clarification and openness are equally important. But where there is distortion or fabrication of the Government's position then we need to say so, firmly.
	Research into grievances is ongoing and we are encouraging local authorities, through engagement and research, to gain a better understanding of those grievances which resonate most in their communities.

Community Relations

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what work her Department has undertaken to establish which local authorities in receipt of funding from the Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund have robust processes for commissioning and performance managing prevent projects; and how she intends to ensure that those areas which do not have robust processes in place will put them in place.

Sadiq Khan: Government offices work very closely with local authorities in their areas to support them in establishing robust and transparent procedures and in ensuring best practice is shared.
	The Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA), which will be introduced from April 2009, is an important component of the performance framework for the Prevent agenda. CLG and other Government Departments have been working with the local public services inspectorates (including the Audit Commission and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary) so that the CAA helps to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of Prevent, including the most effective use of resources.

Community Relations

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how she plans to ensure that local Prevent partnerships develop the appropriate narrative referred to in paragraph 27 of the Audit Commission report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise;
	(2)  what steps her Department plans to take to provide partnerships with more information identifying the factors that make some people vulnerable to becoming involved in violent extremism, as mentioned on page 23 of the Audit Commission report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that the Security Service, the Association of Chief Police Officers and regional government offices will develop an agreed structure for information sharing at an appropriate level between police, councils and other partners, as referred to on page 22 of the Audit Commission report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise;
	(4)  what plans she has to develop a suite of information sources to enable Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships to have a clear process for mapping their communities and identifying vulnerability to violent extremism, as referred to in paragraph 60 of the Audit Commission report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise;
	(5)  how her Department plans to analyse and disseminate the learning of partnerships who have dealt with the direct impact of violent extremism in order to learn from their experience;
	(6)  how she plans to ensure that councils are providing the tailored support through targeted prevent approaches to people who are at risk of, or are moving towards extremism, referred to in paragraph 36 of the Audit Commission report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise;
	(7)  when her Department plans to publish its response to Lord Patel's review of community approaches to preventing violent extremism;
	(8)  what plans she has to develop National Indicator 35 in response to the recommendation on page 52 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise;
	(9)  what plans she has to provide research on the causes of violent extremism to local partnerships, in response to paragraph 170 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise;
	(10)  whether she plans to promote the joint briefing of front line council staff and neighbourhood policing teams on the Prevent programme, in response to paragraph 160 of the Audit Commission's report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise;
	(11)  whether she plans to ensure that briefing on the Prevent programme is extended to all frontline council staff, in response to paragraph 120 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise;
	(12)  whether she plans to review her Department's policy on protective marking and vetting of documents, in response to paragraph 77 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise; and if she will make a statement;
	(13)  what response she plans to make to the recommendation on page 28 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise on sharing experience of counter-terrorism operations;
	(14)  what response she plans to make to the recommendation on page 31 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise on the capacity of councils in respect of activity in connection with the Prevent programme;
	(15)  what response she plans to make to the recommendation in paragraph 75 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise on the flow of information between councils and police forces;
	(16)  what response she plans to make to the recommendation in paragraph 73 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise on collection of information at local level; and if she will make a statement;
	(17)  what response she plans to make to the recommendation on page 32 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise on the composition of local partnerships;
	(18)  with respect to the Audit Commission report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise, how she plans to rectify the absence of relevant information to determine the extent of local vulnerability referred to in paragraph 27;
	(19)  whether she plans to assess information relating to international issues for their relevance to specific local communities as referred to in paragraph 125 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: A number of reviews took place over the summer which sought to draw out learning and emerging practice on the delivery of activity to prevent violent extremism, including the joint Audit Commission and HMIC Learning and Development Exercise (LDE). Though each review had a different focus, together they provide a useful package of learning material upon which local partners can draw and which will inform the Government's approach to Prevent.
	There are a number of common themes which run through all these reviews. Some of these require action from national Government, some from local partners and many from both. We have ensured wide distribution of the LDE report to enable local partners to benefit directly from the important learning it contains in taking forward their local Prevent response. We published Delivering PreventResponding to Learning on 10 December, which sets out the key strands of learning from the reviews and work already underway to address these key themes. We will continue to develop our response to the reviews throughout the year.
	I will place a copy of Delivering PreventResponding to Learning in the Library of the House.

Community Relations

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's definition is of political extremism, as referred to on page 18 of the report, Guidance for local authorities on community cohesion, contingency planning and tension monitoring.

Sadiq Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 4 June 2008,  Official Report, column 992W, to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill).

Community Relations

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the regional conferences with young people to debate extremism issues referred to on page 8 of the report Preventing Violent Extremism: A Strategy for Delivery will be held; where they will be held; and if she will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Home Office are joint sponsors of nine Youth Conferences on Extremism being delivered by the UK Youth Parliament and the Association for Chief Police Officers. There will be one in each of the nine Government office regions in England. To date, two have been held, one in the North East on 8 August 2008 and one in Yorkshire and Humber on 22 November. The remaining seven conferences will be held between January and March 2009, confirmed dates are:
	London: Thursday 19 February 2009
	East Midlands: Thursday 19 February 2009
	North West: Thursday 26 February 2009
	South West: Saturday 21 March 2009
	The purpose behind these conferences is to provide safe places for young people from diverse communities to meet and discuss terrorism and extremism around four key themes:
	Terrorism and what it means to young people
	Violent Extremism and what it means to young people
	Youth Leadership
	How the police should work with young people

Community Relations: Finance

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she plans to publish an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder fund.

Sadiq Khan: Evaluating a programme designed to prevent violent extremism can be challenging. However, there are several pieces work either already published or underway which focus on this issue.
	A mapping of projects funded by the Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund was published at the recent national Prevent conference, on 10 December. It estimates that the Pathfinder fund reached over 44,000 individuals. The report also collates locally focussed evaluation reports where they were available and provides a synthesis of their findings.
	A number of reviews took place in 2008, including the Audit Commission and HMIC's Learning and Development Exercise, which looked at how local partners and partnerships were responding to the challenge of preventing violent extremism. The document Delivering PreventResponding to Learning brings together the key themes from these reviews and is available on the CLG website.
	Further work is under way to develop our approach to, and methodology for, evaluating work to prevent violent extremism locally.

Community Relations: Finance

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what basis funding in support of work to prevent violent extremism has been allocated to local authorities for  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11.

Sadiq Khan: In order to build resilience to violent extremism where it is most needed, the eligibility for, and distribution of funding has been based on the size of local Muslim communities.
	While every eligible local authority receives a minimum level of funding for prevent work, the overall funding level reflects the size of the Muslim population that the authority will be working with. The criteria for eligibility reduces from 2008-09 to 2010-11 to provide funding to an increasing number of authorities, with 94 funded by 2010-11. Details of funding amounts can be found on the CLG website.

Community Relations: Religion

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have mapped the denominational backgrounds of local communities as part of the programme to develop a deeper understanding of local communities referred to on page 12 of the report, The Prevent Strategy: A Guide for Local Partners in England.

Sadiq Khan: The Department does not routinely collect information on any mapping done by local authorities on the denominational backgrounds of local communities. However, every local authority will report progress on criteria linked to National Indicator 35Building Communities Resilient to Violent Extremism, including the understanding of, and engagement with, Muslim communities.

Council Housing: Construction

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many bids from local authorities to build new housing for rent have been  (a) received and  (b) approved by her Department; and which local authorities have made such bids.

Iain Wright: We have announced that local authorities would be invited to bid for social housing grant through the Homes and Communities Agency. This followed our proposal to make changes to the revenue and capital rules that apply to new council housing in order to remove some financial disincentives to council new build in the current system. We intend to set out our plans for implementing these changes very shortly.

Council Housing: Inspections

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) inspections and  (b) audits the Tenants Service Authority plans to undertake in respect of local authorities; and what data it plans to collect from such authorities.

Iain Wright: The Tenant Services Authority does not, at present, regulate local authority providers of social housing. We have made clear our intention that local authorities will be brought under its remit within two years of its establishment. An enabling power in the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 will allow us to make the necessary legislative provisions through regulations, subject to parliamentary approval.
	Professor Ian Cole was appointed to chair an advisory panel tasked with producing recommendations on how to deliver a cross-domain approach to regulation. He submitted his report to Government in September 2008.
	We are taking account of Professor Cole's recommendations as we work towards publishing draft regulations for public consultation in early 2009. The consultation will include proposals on how the regulatory framework should address inspection and provision of information. The Tenant Services Authority, through its national consultation with providers and tenants throughout 2009, will lead on developing the detail of how regulation will operate in practice.

Council Housing: North Yorkshire

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2008,  Official Report, column 141W, how much housing stock  (a) North Yorkshire local authority districts and  (b) the City of York hold.

Iain Wright: The following table shows local authority housing stock held by local authorities in the North Yorkshire area and the City of York authority on 1 April 2007.
	
		
			   Stock within LA, owned by LA 
			  North Yorkshire: 8,743 
			 Craven(1) 2 
			 Hambleton(1) 0 
			 Harrogate 3,936 
			 Richmondshire 1,632 
			 Ryedale(1) 0 
			 Scarborough(1) 0 
			 Selby 3,173 
			  City of York 8,058 
			 (1) Large Scale Voluntary Transfer authority.  Source: Local authority stock from the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) as reported by local authorities. 
		
	
	The figures shown are as reported by local authorities.
	Four of the North Yorkshire local districts have transferred their housing stock to Registered Social Landlords. Hambleton and Ryedale transferred their stock before 1997-98, Craven in March 2003, and Scarborough in December 2003.
	After March 2003 Craven discovered that they still own two units, unfit for occupation, above the town hall. These two units, listed in the table, have not been transferred to Registered Social Landlords.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many contracts  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies have which allow contractors to store personal data of UK citizens overseas; for which contracts this applies; in which countries the data for each contract is held; and how many people have their data stored overseas in the case of each such contract.

Sadiq Khan: Communities and Local Government and its agencies has two systems where personal data of UK citizens is stored overseas. These are the contract for the Public Enquiry Service Database and the Fire Service College Learners Database. The Public Enquiry Service Database is hosted in the USA and stores approximately 4,000 records. The Fire Service Learners Database is in Germany and holds approximately 6,000 personal records.

Departmental Equality

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information her Department holds on the  (a) sex,  (b) ethnicity, (c) age,  (d) disability,  (e) sexual orientation and  (f) religion or belief of its staff; and what assessment she has made of her Department's performance against its targets relating to diversity in its workforce.

Sadiq Khan: Through a combination of compulsory and voluntary processes, the Department collects data in relation to all these categories of its staff. This information is presented in the Department's annual Workforce Diversity Data report; the 2007-08 report is in the final stages of drafting.
	At March 2008, the Department exceeded the cross-Whitehall targets on women, BME and disabled staff in the SCS, as set out in the Civil Service 10 Point Diversity Plan. The following table shows our final position together with the new targets required by its successor, 'Promoting Equality, Valuing Diversity: A strategy for the Civil Service' (published July 2008).
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  SCS Group  Cross-Government targets 2008  Cross-Government targets 2011  Communities targets for March 2011  Results at 31 March 2008( 1) 
			 Women in SCS 37 39 50 41.3 
			 Women in top management positions 30 34 40 33.3 
			 BME staff(2) 4 5 8 4.8 
			 Staff with disabilities(2) 3.2 5 7 4.7 
			 (1) Results are based on the SCS staff providing information to Personnel Information Management System (PIMS). (2) Percentage differences between BME and disabled staff are caused by disparities in SCS data completion rates.

Departmental Telephone Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many telephone numbers for which callers are charged at the rate applicable to 0845 numbers are used by  (a) her Department and  (b) its executive agencies for public access to services.

Sadiq Khan: Communities and Local Government and its agencies do not require the public to make telephone calls on numbers which charge more than the national rate. The only 0845 number used is the Neighbourhood Renewal helpline (0845 0828383). However, calls to this number are diverted to the main Communities and Local Government switchboard and are charged at a local rate to the caller.

Deprivation Indicators

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the geographical barriers score of each parliamentary constituency in the Indices of Deprivation 2007 was, ranked from highest to lowest.

Sadiq Khan: Statistics from the Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2007 have not been produced for parliamentary constituencies.
	The Indices of Deprivation 2007 (ID 2007) were constructed at lower super output area (LSOA) level. LSOAs are consistent in size and over time, allow identification of small pockets of deprivation. There are 32,482 LSOAs in England. Because parliamentary constituencies are relatively large and subject to boundary change, it is not feasible to produce the Indices at this geographical level.
	Six summary measures of the Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2007 have been produced at both local authority district and unitary authority levels. The summary measures at district level focus on different aspects of multiple deprivation in the area. The six measures are 'Average Score, Average Rank, Extent, Local Concentration, Income Scale, and Employment Scale'.
	IMD07 and the local authority summaries can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/communities/neighbourhoodrenewal/deprivation/deprivation07/

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Answer of 17 November 2008,  Official Report, column 97W, on domestic waste: waste disposal, who the  (a) managing,  (b) certifying and  (c) audit authority for each of the EU Interreg programmes listed is.

Sadiq Khan: The information is as follows.
	
		
			  Interreg programme  (a) Managing authority  (b) Certifying authority  (c) Audit authority 
			  Interreg IVA
			 2 Seas Nord-Pas-de Calais Region Hotel de RegionCentre Rihour F-59555 LILLE Cedex Caisse des Depots et Consignations Departement Gestion Sous Mandat15 Quai Anatole75356 Paris 07 SPFrance CICC5 Place des Vins de France 75012 Paris-France 
			 
			  Manche
			 (Channel Programme) Region Haute-Normandie Hotel de Region 5 rue Schuman BP1129 76174 Rouen Cedex 1 France Caisse des Depots et Consignations Departement Gestion Sous Mandat15 Quai Anatole75356 Paris 07 SPFrance CICC 5 Place des Vins de France 75012 Paris-France 
			 
			  Interreg IVB
			 Atlantic Area CCDR-N Rua Rainha D. Estefania, 251 4150-034 Porto Portugal Institute Finaneiro para o Desenvolvimento Regional, IP Rua de Sao Juliao 63 1149-030 Lisboa Portugal Inspeccao-Geral de Financas Rua Angelina Vidal, 41 1199-005 Lisboa Portugal 
			 
			 North Sea Region Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority Dahlerups Pakhus Langelinie Alle 17 DK-2100 The Central Denmark Region Accounts Dept Skottenborg 26 DK-8800 Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority ERDF Control Unit Dahlerups Pakhus Langelinie Alle 17 DK-2100 
			 
			 North West Europe The Nord-Pas de Calais Region 45, rue de Tournai Entries D F-5900 Caisse des Depots et Consignations 15 Quai Anatole France75356 Paris 07 SP France CICC Immeuble Atrium 5, Place des Vins de France 75573 Paris Cedex 12 France 
			 
			  Interreg IVC Counseil Regional NordPas de Nord Hotel de Region 59555 Lille Cedex 1 France Caisse des Depots et Consignations 15 Quai Anatole France 75356 Paris 07 SP France CICC Immeuble Atrium 5, Place des Vins de France 75573 Paris Cedex 12 France

Government Procurement Card

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department holds records of individual transactions made in respect of her Department using the Government Procurement Card.

Sadiq Khan: The Department holds the originals of the monthly paper statements, and copies are held centrally, relating to all Government Procurement Card transactions made by its cardholders. These statements provide details relating to the suppliers being used, when the transaction occurred and how much was spent per transaction.
	In addition, the cardholders or their associated finance teams will hold the specific receipts or invoices relating to those purchases which will detail what exactly was purchased in each transaction with the relevant supplier.

Green Belt: York

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the proposed change in the  (a) scale and  (b) extent of the green belt around York arising from proposal YH9 of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Spatial Strategy.

Iain Wright: The principle of land being identified for the purposes of green belt around York has not altered as a result of the recent publication of the Yorkshire and Humber RSS (May 2008). In addition, RSS does not propose that the general extent of the green belt should be altered around York. York city council is however required by Policy YH9 of RSS to consider the setting of the historic city and long term development needs of the local authority area when identifying the inner green belt boundary.
	It is the responsibility of local planning authorities to identify detailed green belt boundaries. York city council is currently in the process of preparing a local development framework for the district. This document will for the first time identify detailed green belt boundaries within the city that will determine the precise extent of land identified for the purposes of green belt policy.

Homelessness

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homelessness applications were made in each of the last three years  (a) in total,  (b) by those aged between 16 and 24 years old and  (c) by those aged 24 years old and more in (i) Vale of York constituency, (ii) North Yorkshire and (iii) England.

Iain Wright: Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level. Districts within North Yorkshire are Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby. In addition, information is provided for the unitary authority of York. Information is not collected at constituency level, and the Vale of York constituency lies within Hambleton, Harrogate and York.
	Data collected include all decisions made on applications by eligible applicants, and the number of applicants accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). These households are known as 'accepted' households.
	A table showing data on applications by eligible households in all age groups for the last three years, as reported by local authorities, has been placed in the Library. The figures for England and North Yorkshire are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Decisions taken by local authorities under the 1996 Housing Act on applications from eligible households, England and North Yorkshire 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 England 213,290 159,330 130,840 
			 
			 Craven 91 85 100 
			 Hambleton 128 132 115 
			 Harrogate 370 208 185 
			 Richmondshire 1 141 172 
			 Ryedale 174 79 58 
			 Scarborough 319 288 210 
			 Selby 170 227 166 
			 
			 York 600 469 403 
			 (1) Data not reported by local authority 
		
	
	Data on applications by age band are not held centrally.

Housing: Low Incomes

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding has been allocated for Social Homebuy in each of the next three years.

Iain Wright: Social HomeBuy is a demand-led product and as such there is no specific allocation within the Homes and Communities Agency's Affordable Housing Programme for 2008-11 for this product. Registered Social Landlords who choose to offer Social HomeBuy bid to the Homes and Communities Agency for grant to cover the discount offered to the tenant.

Housing: Sales

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many bids her Department has  (a) received and  (b) approved for the purchase of unsold private housing, broken down by (i) local authority area, (ii) type of property and (iii) type of purchaser.

Iain Wright: As of 22 December 2008 the Homes and Communities Agency had received bids to the value of over 260 million to purchase unsold developer stock. From these bids they have approved a total of around 159 million.
	A table has been deposited in the Library showing the total grant provided by local authority broken down by social rent and low cost home ownership and by type of property. All of these properties are being purchased by registered social landlords.

Housing: Standards

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has given to local planning authorities on the application of dwelling space standards.

Iain Wright: The Government's Planning Policy Statement 3: 'Housing' (PPS3) is clear on the need to achieve high quality housing and encourages local planning authorities to draw on relevant guidance including 'Better Places to Live: By Design (2001)' which covers aspects such as the internal layout and use of dwelling space. However, the Government have not provided specific guidance to local planning authorities on the application of dwelling space standards.

Improvement and Development Agency

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff the Improvement and Development Agency employs; how many staff work on cohesion, integration and migration issues; and what the cost of employing staff working on cohesion, integration and migration issues is expected to be in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) each of the subsequent two years.

Sadiq Khan: The Department does not hold information on the number of staff at the Improvement and Development Agency employs as it is owned by the Local Government Association which is a voluntary body organisation acting on behalf of its members, not a government funded organisation.

Local Government: Sustainable Development

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the status of the revision of Planning Policy Statement 4 is; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The revision to Planning Policy Statement 4, 'Sustainable Economic Development', is currently in draft, and was consulted on in 2008. The Government are currently considering the responses to the consultation. A summary of consultation responses was published on 8 August, 2008. When issued in its final form the statement will have the status of national planning policy.

Offenders

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many former prisoners are employed by her Department; and what her Department's policy is on employing former prisoners.

Sadiq Khan: All new recruits to Communities and Local Government are required to complete a Criminal Record Declaration Form which is then kept on their personal file. The Department does not keep a central record of former prisoners.
	The Department's policy on employing former prisoners complies with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974).

Opencast Mining: Planning Permission

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what guidance her Department has provided to local authorities on the production of health impact assessments relating to opencast coal mining planning applications;
	(2)  how many planning applications for opencast coal mining in the UK have had health impact assessments produced as part of the process over the last 10 years.

Iain Wright: Environmental impact assessments for opencast coal mining proposals should identify all the likely significant impacts associated with the development and how they will be controlled or be subject to mitigation. These impacts will include those which may have a direct effect on people, including impacts on health.
	Government planning policy on controlling and mitigating the environmental effects of minerals extraction is set out in Minerals Policy Statement 2 (MPS2) and its associated annexes on dust and noise. MPS2 clearly states that where effective mitigation of unacceptable impacts through planning conditions or obligations is not possible, planning permission for a development should be refused.
	Information on the number of planning applications for opencast coal mining with Environmental Impact Assessments (including those covering impacts on health) is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Opencast Mining: Planning Permission

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many opencast coal mining planning applications have been decided  (a) by local authorities and  (b) following call-ins during the last 10 years.

Iain Wright: Information on the number of opencast coal mining applications decided by local authorities is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Only one opencast coal application has been decided in the last 10 years following call-in of the planning application by the Secretary of State. This was the Cutacre opencast coal site, between Over Hulton and Lower Hulton in Wigan Metropolitan borough council. This was decided in July 2001.

Ordnance Survey

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the market value of the Ordnance Survey.

Iain Wright: Ordnance Survey's net assets as set out in its 2007-08 annual report and accounts were approximately 82 million. Estimates of the market value of individual Government-owned businesses, including the Ordnance Survey, are commercially sensitive. Their publication could prejudice the delivery of best value for money to the taxpayer in the management of its assets.

Ordnance Survey: Databases

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) of 19 November 2008,  Official Report, column 514W, onValuation Office: databases, if she will place in the Library a copy of the specification and plans used by Ordnance Survey to align the databases.

Iain Wright: There is no published specification or plan for the database alignment work being undertaken by Ordnance Survey, as this work involves a process of continuous improvement, based upon an evolving specification. This has been continuously developed as the project has progressed. The result is a pattern of work-flow based upon the outputs of an address matching software 'engine' and manual editing.
	To ensure better cross-Government standardisation of address data, and to support the principles of the Digital National Framework (DNF), this cross reference table (X-ref) is available free of charge to any organisation, whether they are an Ordnance Survey customer or not.
	I have today placed a copy of the current version of 'X-ref' in the Library of the House.

Ordnance Survey: Databases

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) of 19 November 2008,  Official Report, column 514W, on Valuation Office: databases, what the estimated cost to Ordnance Survey of the database alignment exercise is.

Iain Wright: The work of database alignment forms one part of Ordnance Survey's continuous process of product development and enhancement, which involves a number of integrated processes, and as such the costs of this specific aspect are not presently recorded separately. Doing this at the present time could be established only at disproportionate cost.

Ordnance Survey: Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding her Department has provided for Ordnance Survey to meet the costs of staff salaries in the last 12 months.

Iain Wright: As a trading fund, Ordnance Survey is a public body subject to the Civil Service Pay Guidance released annually by HM Treasury. Ordnance Survey is therefore part of the civil service pay remit process, in which HM Treasury approves a pay remit for Ordnance Survey in line with Government policy on public sector pay settlements.
	The current Ordnance Survey pay remit approved by HM Treasury on 6 December 2007 covers a three year settlement for the years 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10, and includes arrangements for transition to a new reward structure designed to address a number of longer term reward issues.
	The remit reflects the individual labour market position of Ordnance Survey's work force, particularly the recruitment and retention position; consistency with the achievement by the Bank of England of its CPI inflation target of 2 per cent. affordability by Ordnance Survey; and value for money for stakeholders. It was reviewed by HM Treasury in October 2008, and reconfirmed.

Planning Obligations

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have not spent any Section 106 moneys on capital programmes within their districts in the latest period for which figures are available.

Iain Wright: Information on the value of Section 106 moneys not spent on capital programmes by each local authority is not collected centrally. However, the Department for Communities and Local Government has produced research reports into the value of planning obligations in England for 2003-04 and 2005-06 based on a sample of authorities across the country. These reports are available on the Department's website. New research covering 2007-08 has been commissioned and will be published in the summer.
	The research report for 2005-06 estimated that of 4 billion in planning obligation agreements, approximately 3 billion would have been delivered in practice. The shortfall would have been due to the fact that not all of the permissions to which the agreements were attached would be implemented and some others would be renegotiated. The table below shows how the estimated 4 billion was categorised.
	
		
			  The total value of planning obligations in 2005-06 () 
			Percentage of total 
			 Open Space and the Environment 215,684,473 5 
			 Transport and Travel 361,956,329 9 
			 Community Works and Leisure 75,439,392 2 
			 Education 154,053,871 4 
			 Other 149,893,307 4 
			 County Councils (est) 10,000,000 1 
			 Max Land Contributions 960,000,000 24 
			 Affordable Housing 2,000,000,000 50 
			 Estimated Total Value 4 billion  
		
	
	appropriate openness over the collection and use of si06 monies is an important element of local authority accountability and the Government recommends in planning Circular 05/05 that authorities keep accurate records which can be used to inform the public. In July, the Government announced in the Empowerment White Paper that it will explore whether more can be done to strengthen this local accountability.

Planning Permission

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what advice her Department provides to local authorities who receive repeat planning applications which have already been rejected by the planning inspectorate.

Iain Wright: Advice on repeat applications is set out in ODPM Circular 08/2005. This notes that local planning authorities have had the power for some time to decline to determine an application for planning permission which was the same or substantially the same as an application that, within the previous two years, the Secretary of State had called in and refused or had dismissed on appeal.

Planning Permission

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to issue a formal Government response to the Killian Pretty review.

Iain Wright: The Government will publish a formal response to the recommendations of the Killian Pretty review shortly.

Property Development

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to improve the guidance her Department has issued on the changes to domestic permitted development rights; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: Guidance on the new householder permitted development rights effective from 1 October 2008 is available via the 'interactive house' on the Planning Portal. In addition, on 16 December the Department's chief planner wrote to all local planning authorities to inform them that we have posted a schedule of frequently-asked questions on the Planning Portal website. This information can be found at:
	http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/clg-pd-faq.pdf

Property Development

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local planning authorities have made it their policy to recommend to householders that they obtain a certificate of lawfulness before exercising their permitted development rights in respect of household extensions.

Iain Wright: The information requested is not held centrally.

Rented Housing: Construction

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new local authority and housing association dwellings were started in England in each year since 1979-80.

Iain Wright: The following table shows the number of annual house building starts in England, for local authority and registered social landlords dwellings each year since 1979-80.
	
		
			   Local authority starts  Registered social landlords starts 
			 1979-80 9,470 3,250 
			 1980-81 29,400 11,050 
			 1981-82 23,870 13,010 
			 1982-83 32,570 14,190 
			 1983-84 27,660 12,260 
			 1984-85 20,690 10,750 
			 1985-86 18,460 10,470 
			 1986-87 17,280 10,620 
			 1987-88 15,060 10,070 
			 1988-89 12,910 11,970 
			 1989-90 11,970 11,520 
			 1990-91 5,490 14,180 
			 1991-92 2,330 20,070 
			 1992-93 1,620 30,360 
			 1993-94 880 33,260 
			 1994-95 510 31,230 
			 1995-96 520 24,320 
			 1996-97 400 22,900 
			 1997-98 260 19,630 
			 1998-99 130 17,550 
			 1999-2000 150 15,940 
			 2000-01 210 12,840 
			 2001-02 120 11,060 
			 2002-03 160 10,910 
			 2003-04 280 12,350 
			 2004-05 210 14,390 
			 2005-06 250 17,230 
			 2006-07 200 16,850 
			 2007-08 250 15,750 
			  Source: New build starts from P2 monthly and quarterly returns submitted by local authorities and the National House-Building Council to CLG.

Rents

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration she has given to the need for further reform of legislation on rent reviews; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: While the terms of commercial leases, including rents, are set by agreement between landlords and tenants, Government are concerned that lease terms should not constrain flexibility in the commercial property market. In 2007, at our request, the property industry introduced a revised stronger code of practice which, among other matters, makes recommendations to landlords about the arrangements for commercial rent reviews. This Code for Leasing Business Premises in England and Wales 2007, is voluntary. However, Government are monitoring the use and impact of the code, and will evaluate the outcome to see if it has made a difference to industry practice. Government remain committed to lease reform and has not ruled out legislation as an option.

Repossession Orders

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what dates she held meetings with  (a) HBOS,  (b) Nationwide,  (c) Abbey,  (d) Lloyds TSB,  (e) Northern Rock,  (f) Barclays,  (g) RBS and  (h) HSBC on the Government's repossessions policy before its announcement on 3 December 2008.

Iain Wright: Government held productive discussions with all eight lenders mentioned in the days ahead of the 3 December announcement and agreed with them their support in principle to the homeowner mortgage support scheme. We have since been working with these, other lenders and the trade bodies to develop the detail of the scheme.

Repossession Orders

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 10 November 2008,  Official Report, House of Lords, column WA97, on housing: repossession, on what dates each regional summit was held; which local authorities attended each summit; and if she will place in the Library a copy of each of the handouts and presentations from the summits.

Iain Wright: On 2 September, the Government announced 200 million for a mortgage rescue scheme to help vulnerable people facing repossession remain in their home, where possible. Government are working closely with key delivery partners to ensure the scheme is operational as soon as possible.
	Communities and Local Government has held a series of regional summits at Government office level to explain the mortgage rescue scheme. All local authorities were invited to attend on a voluntary basis. Regional summits were held on the following dates:
	East Midlands (Nottingham): 18 September
	West Midlands (Birmingham): 23 September
	North East (Newcastle): 9 October
	South West (Exeter): 16 October
	Yorkshire and Humberside (Leeds): 22 October
	North West (Manchester): 27 October
	South East (Crawley): 7 November
	London: 13 November
	East (Cambridge): 14 November
	Presentations used at each regional summit were used to inform policy development. Government are currently consulting all local authorities on a guidance note providing a step-by-step guide on how to set up and operate the Mortgage Rescue Scheme. This will be issued in January 2009.

Right To Buy Scheme: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much local authority housing stock in  (a) Bexley and  (b) London has been sold under the right-to-buy scheme in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: The London borough of Bexley transferred its housing stock to registered social landlords (RSLs) in February 1998. There have consequently been no sales of local authority housing stock under the right to buy scheme in Bexley since that date.
	The preserved right to buy is available to tenants of RSLs who were formerly secure tenants of local authorities and have moved to RSL landlords with their homes under the terms of stock transfers. Figures for preserved right to buy sales alone are not available at local authority level, but combined figures for RSL right to buy, preserved right to buy and right to acquire sales are available, and the following table shows these figures for the London borough of Bexley:
	
		
			   RSL sales of social housing in the London borough of Bexley 
			 2001-02 123 
			 2002-03 129 
			 2003-04 126 
			 2004-05 51 
			 2005-06 14 
			 2006-07 11 
			 2007-08 13 
			  Source:  Regulatory and Statistical Returns from Registered Social Landlords to the Housing Corporation. 
		
	
	The following table shows the number of local authority right to buy sales and RSL social housing sales (preserved right to buy, right to buy, right to acquire) by London boroughs in each year since 1997-98:
	
		
			   Local authority right to buy sales in London( 1)  RSL sales of social housing in London( 2) 
			 1997-98 7,123  
			 1998-99 8,045  
			 1999-00 11,331  
			 2000-01 11,439  
			 2001-02 9,817 788 
			 2002-03 11,608 976 
			 2003-04 12,778 1,246 
			 2004-05 10,691 858 
			 2005-06 4,042 361 
			 2006-07 2,221 339 
			 2007-08 1,835 331 
			 (1) PIB figures for London include imputed figures for missing quarterly returns from any of the local authorities in London. (2) RSR figures include combined RSL sales through the right to buy, preserved right to buy and right to acquire schemes. Figures are not available for RSL social housing sales before 2001-02.  Source: Quarterly PIB returns from local authorities, and Regulatory and Statistical Returns (RSR) from Registered Social Landlords to the Housing Corporation.

Sleeping Rough

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes have been made to the methodology used to  (a) calculate and  (b) count rough sleeping in the last 36 months; and what changes her Department is considering.

Iain Wright: Rough sleeping counts provide an effective tool by which we can monitor and demonstrate progress in reducing rough sleeping levels. They give us an indicator of the relative extent of the problem between areas and over time. In 2007, we consulted on and strengthened the methodology by, for example, introducing verifiers.
	While we will keep the local counts as a useful measure, we know that they provide a limited snapshot. They should be the start of the process not the end. In the new rough sleeping strategy No One Left Out published in November 2008, we set out plans to launch a new approach to help local authorities monitor progress and track people sleeping rough, ensuring that counts are not just an opportunity to identify levels of need but more importantly to do something about it. It is important that we are clear that the headline figure is the total of the counts undertaken during the year. We will no longer ask local authorities that do not count to provide an annual estimate in their annual housing statistics return.

Specialist Cohesion Team

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made in the roll out of Specialist Cohesion Team pilots; how much the teams  (a) have cost to date and  (b) are expected to cost in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11; how the pilots will be assessed; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: Specialist Cohesion Team (SCTs) pilots are under way in two local authorities: Breckland and Barnsley. Both pilots commenced in July 2008 and end January 2009. Both pilots are making good progress, according to their individual terms of reference.
	CLG has allocated up to 200,000 in 2008-09 from programme funding to deliver and independently evaluate the SCT pilots. Costs for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are yet to be decided.
	Separate reports will be produced for both areas in February 2009.
	An independent evaluation of both pilots will commence in January 2009.

Temporary Accommodation: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) children and  (b) adults in the Peterborough City council area were in temporary accommodation on 30 September (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007 and (iv) 2008.

Iain Wright: Information about English local authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level, about households rather than individuals.
	Data collected include the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available.
	Information on the numbers of households housed in temporary accommodation is reported quarterly by local authorities as at the last day of each quarter. The figures include: those households which have been accepted as owed the main homelessness duty; those for which enquiries are pending; those being accommodated for a limited period because they have been found intentionally homeless and in priority need; those being accommodated pending possible referral to another authority, and those being accommodated pending the outcome of a local authority review or county court appeal.
	The number of dependent children (or expected children) in these households is also collected, but data on the number of adults is not. The figures for total households, total number of families and total children in temporary accommodation, reported by Peterborough City council, as at 30 September in 2005 to 2008, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Households in temporary accommodation, and number of children within these households, in Peterborough local authority as at 30 September, 2005 to 2008 
			   Total households in TA arranged by authority  Total number of households with dependent children  Total children (and expected children) within these households 
			 2005 83 56 93 
			 2006 77 40 81 
			 2007 67 30 37 
			 2008 81 33 55

Tenants: Greater London

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of levels of satisfaction amongst  (a) private rented sector tenants and  (b) other tenants in London.

Iain Wright: Based on the Survey of English Housing, the estimated levels of tenant satisfaction in London during 2006-07 amongst  (a) private tenants and  (b) social tenants were as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Proportion of tenants satisfied with their landlord  Proportion of tenants satisfied with their accommodation 
			  (a) Private tenants in London 73 80 
			  (b) Social tenants in London 66 77 
			  Source:  Survey of English Housing, 2006/07

Travelling People

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of unauthorised Traveller sites in England.

Iain Wright: In July 2008 local authorities recorded 981 unauthorised Gypsy and Traveller sites in England.

Travelling People

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in respect of which areas reviews of Green Belt and the provision of Traveller sites are recommended in draft regional spatial strategies.

Iain Wright: There are currently four draft regional spatial strategies (RSS) undergoing revisions.
	 East Midlands :
	The Government are currently considering representations made on the Proposed Changes and are working towards the final issue of the RSS in 2009.
	 Review of Green Belts recommended
	The draft RSS recommends a review of the most sustainable locations for growth within the Nottingham Core Housing Market Area over the next 25 years, which may include considering locations within the Green Belt.
	This review needs to be done as part of the evidence base underpinning the next RSS review.
	 Provision of traveller pitches recommended
	The Draft East Midlands RSS sets out the number of traveller pitches required in the region and it is up to local authorities to identify specific locations in local plans.
	 West Midlands Phase 2 and Phase 3 :
	The West Midlands is taking a phased approach to the revision of its RSS.
	Consultation on Phase 2 is completed and it will be submitted to an Examination in Public in Spring 2009.
	 Review of Green Belts recommended
	The draft Phase 2 West Midlands regional spatial strategy identifies the need for review of Green Belt round Coventry and Redditch.
	 Provision of traveller pitches recommended
	The provision of traveller pitches will be addressed in Phase 3 of the RSS review. The West Midlands Regional Assembly are currently developing option papers for Phase 3 and have yet to commence consultation.
	 South East :
	The Government are currently considering representations made on the Proposed Changes and are working towards the final issue of the RSS in 2009.
	 Review of Green Belts recommended
	The Government's Proposed Changes included proposals for selective Green Belt review at Oxford and Guildford, and possibly south of Woking, plus small scale reviews at Chertesy and Redhill/Reigate.
	 Provision of traveller pitches recommended
	The Draft South East RSS sets out the number of traveller pitches required across the region, however it is up to the local authorities to identify the specific location of traveller sites in local plans.
	 South West :
	The Government are currently considering representations made on the Proposed Changes and are working towards the final issue of the RSS in 2009.
	 Review of Green Belts recommended
	The Proposed Changes included proposals to revise the Bristol and Bath, Gloucester and Cheltenham and South East Dorset Green Belts.
	 Provision of traveller pitches recommended
	The Draft South West RSS sets out the number of traveller pitches for each local authority area, however it is up to the local authorities to identify the specific location of traveller sites in local plans.
	Four RSSs have already been issued by the Secretary of State and the West Midlands (Phase 1) RSS:
	15 January 2008West Midlands (Phase 1) Black Country sub-regional plan
	12 May 2008East of England
	21 May 2008Yorkshire and Humber
	15 July 2008North East
	30 September 2008North West

Travelling People: Caravan Sites

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities on using semi-rural and rural land to provide Traveller sites.

Iain Wright: Guidance to local authorities on the use of semi-rural or rural land for Gypsy and Traveller Sites is contained in ODPM Circular 01/2006 'Planning for Gypsy and Traveller Caravan Sites'.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Building Schools for the Future programme: Sixth Form Colleges

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether sixth form colleges will be included under the Building Schools for the Future programme after 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: In Raising Expectations: enabling the system to deliver (published March 2008), we stated our intention to bring sixth form colleges within the scope of the Building Schools for the Future programme, so that they can be part of securing the area-wide entitlement. This remains our position, and we are considering the details along with the key partner organisations involved.

Case Reviews

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what procedures his Department has in place for reviewing serious case reviews; and what guidance he has given his officials on the circumstances in which such reviews should be drawn to the attention of Ministers.

Beverley Hughes: Local authorities are responsible for notifying Ofsted of serious incidents involving children. This includes cases which then become the subject of a serious case review (SCR). When a review is complete the report is then evaluated by Ofsted. DCSF Children and Learners teams in the regional government offices have a support and challenge role in relation to SCRs, in particular with respect to the implementation by Local Safeguarding Children Boards and local agencies of recommendations in individual reports. They also provide briefing to officials in the DCSF, to enable them to keep Ministers informed of overall progress. But Ministers are not involved in the SCR process and do not see draft SCR reports or take any decisions until that process is complete and the executive summary is made public. Ministers have vested in them a range of statutory powers in relation to local authorities, including intervention powers, and it is important that they allow the SCR process to take its course.

Children in Care

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what rules apply to the out-of-county placement of vulnerable  (a) adults and  (b) children; what procedures are employed to monitor such placements; and how the costs of such placements are shared.

Beverley Hughes: This reply relates to England only.
	 (a) The Department of Health is responsible for the framework relating to the accommodation and support of vulnerable adults who are assessed as requiring community care services. We will forward my hon. Friend's enquiry to that Department so that he can receive a written reply to part  (a) of his question.
	 (b) There are extensive regulations and guidance setting out local authority responsibilities towards all children that they look after. The placing local authority will always remain responsible for maintaining the child's care plan setting out how the authority will arrange the services necessary to meet to their assessment the child's needs. However, where children are placed out of their responsible local authority, the local authorities involved will need to take into account the regulations below that provide information about funding responsibilities for health and education services.
	The arrangements for provision of and payment for health care for looked after children placed out-of-authority children are set out in statutory guidance Establishing the Responsible Commissioner: Guidance for PCT commissioners on the application of the legal framework on PCT's secondary care responsibilities which was issued in 2006.
	The Education (Areas to which Pupils and Students Belong) Regulations 1996 specify arrangements for funding when a pupil living in one local authority area is ordinarily resident in a different local area. These regulations apply to any pupil, including looked after children living in out of authority placements.

Children in Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many women in prison have children in the care of  (a) social services and  (b) another guardian.

David Hanson: I have been asked to reply.
	The National Offender Management Service does not routinely keep information on the number of prisoners with children in the care of either social services or another guardian. However, the Corston Report (March 2007) referred to 12 per cent. of women prisoners' children being in care or with foster parents or adopted.

Children in Care

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many children have been placed out of area by each social services department in England since 2005-06;
	(2)  what the average distance was between the relevant social service area and the placement of children subject to out of area arrangements with regard to each social services department in England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: Information on the number of children in care in each local authority who have been placed out of area by each social services department in England for the years ending 31 March 2006 to 2008 and the average distance between their home address and placement, at 31 March 2008, has been placed in both the Libraries.

Children in Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in the care system are placed in residential children's homes.

Beverley Hughes: Information on the number of children in the care system that are placed in residential children's homes can be found in table A3, taken from the Statistical First Release (SFR 23/2008) entitled 'Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers) year ending 31 March 2008'. This shows the number of children looked after at the 31 March for 2004 to 2008 by placement.
	The SFR is located at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000810/index.shtml.
	and table A3 can be found within the excel link labelled National Tables.

Children in Care: Custodial Treatment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many prisoners in England were previously children in care at any time during their lives and received a custodial sentence when they were juveniles.

David Hanson: I have been asked to reply.
	Information on the total number of prisoners in all prison establishments in England and Wales who were in local authority care at some point when under the age of 16 is not centrally available.
	However, a social exclusion unit report Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners published in 2002 reported that 27 per cent. of the prison population had been taken into care as a child against an average across the general population of 2 per cent.
	We are not able to give the information requested regarding who of those in care had also received custodial sentences while juveniles.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Children in Care: Missing Persons

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in care in each local authority area have gone missing in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: Information on the number of children in care in each local authority who have gone missing is available for the past four years.
	Information for years ending 31 March 2006 to 2008 can be found in table LAB5, taken from the Statistical First Release (SFR 23/2008) entitled 'Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers) year ending 31 March 2008.'
	The SFR is located at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000810/FinalDecemberTables.xls
	Information for year ending 31 March 2005 can be found in table LAB5, taken from the Statistical First Release (SFR 27/2007) entitled 'Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers) year ending 31 March 2007'.
	The SFR is located at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000741/fourthadditionaltables.xls

Children in Care: Pupil Exclusions

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many looked after children in each local education authority (LEA) have been permanently excluded by the head teacher of their school since 2005; how many of those in each LEA while officially permanently excluded remain on their original schools' rolls; and how many of them in each LEA are being educated at other establishments while permanently excluded from their original school.

Beverley Hughes: The OC2 data collection collects information on a range of outcomes for looked after children from local authorities. This information has been published in the Statistical First Release Outcome Indicators for Children Looked After, Twelve months to 30 September 2007England (SFR 08/2008), which is available on the Department's website via the following link:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000785/index.shtml
	This publication contains figures for the period 2005-07.
	Information on exclusions from school at local authority level can be found in table 1 (in the second excel link) which shows the number of permanent exclusions during the previous school year. The OC2 data collection is an aggregate data collection from local authorities and it is therefore not possible to provide this information broken down by how many children, while officially permanently excluded remain on the original school rolls or are being educated at other establishments.

Children: Abuse

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children were subject to abuse whilst subject to a child protection plan in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 16 December 2008
	Information on the number of children who were subject to abuse while subject to a child protection plan is not collected nationally.
	Table 1 shows the number of children who were the subject of a child protection plan at 31 March 2008, according to the category of abuse which led to the plan being put in place, for the years 2004 to 2008.
	
		
			  Table 1: Children who were the subject of a Child Protection Plan (CPP), by category of abuse( 1,2) , years ending 31 March 2004 to 2008 
			  Coverage: England 
			   Number  Percentage 
			  Category of abuse  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 All children 26,300 25,900 26,400 27,900 29,200 100 100 100 100 100 
			 Neglect 11,000 11,400 11,800 12,500 13,400 42 44 45 45 46 
			 Physical abuse 4,100 3,900 3,600 3,500 3,400 15 15 14 12 12 
			 Sexual abuse 2,500 2,400 2,300 2,000 2,000 9 9 9 7 7 
			 Emotional abuse 5,100 5,200 6,000 7,100 7,900 20 20 23 25 27 
			 Multiple/not recommended by 'Working Together'(3) 3,600 3,000 2,700 2,700 2,500 14 12 10 10 9 
			 (1) Figures may not add due to rounding. (2) This table includes unborn children. (3) 'Multiple' refers to instances where there is more than one main category of abuse. These children are not counted under the other abuse headings, so a child can appear only once in this table. 'Not recommended' refers to classificatory categories not recommended by 'Working Together' (1999).  Source: CPR3 
		
	
	The latest figures on the numbers and percentage of children subject to Child Protection Plans or placed on the Child Protection Register were published in a Statistical First Release (SFR) 24/2008 Referrals, Assessments and Children and Young People who are the subject of a Child Protection Plan, EnglandYear ending 31 March 2008 on 16 September 2008. A copy of this release is available on my Department's website:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000811/index.shtml

Children: Care Homes

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children's homes there were in each local authority area of England on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many places in such homes were available in each local authority area.

Beverley Hughes: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM chief inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Library.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 23 December 2008:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	The table attached displays the number of children's homes and the maximum number of registered places available within the geographical boundaries of each of the local authorities in England. I should emphasise that these are the number of homes geographically located in each area i.e. the figures include private and voluntary run homes. These figures were taken from data available at 30 September 2008 and only include children's homes which were active at that point in time. No registered places data were available for five out of the 1976 children's homes (0.25%) and these are noted in the table below.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Beverley Hughes MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
	
		
			  Children's homes providers and registered number of places for local authorities at the end of September 2008 
			  Local authority  Children's homes end of September 2008  Maximum places end of September 2008  Children's homes without data on places at end of September 2008 
			 Barking and Dagenham 3 17 0 
			 Barnet 4 20 0 
			 Barnsley 16 99 0 
			 Bath and NE Somerset 1 5 0 
			 Bedfordshire 12 63 0 
			 Bexley 1 10 0 
			 Birmingham 51 282 2 
			 Blackburn 10 40 0 
			 Blackpool 15 84 0 
			 Bolton 11 57 0 
			 Bournemouth 4 17 0 
			 Bracknell Forest 5 22 0 
			 Bradford 16 122 0 
			 Brent 6 27 0 
			 Brighton and Hove 8 46 0 
			 Bristol City 18 130 0 
			 Bromley 5 69 0 
			 Buckinghamshire 9 87 0 
			 Bury 8 33 0 
			 Calderdale 12 59 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 29 156 0 
			 Camden 1 8 0 
			 Cheshire 14 173 0 
			 City of London 0 0 0 
			 Cornwall 21 106 0 
			 Coventry 9 59 0 
			 Croydon 16 108 0 
			 Cumbria 23 351 0 
			 Darlington 10 41 0 
			 Derby, City of 11 74 0 
			 Derbyshire 31 221 0 
			 Devon 42 298 0 
			 Doncaster 13 138 0 
			 Dorset 11 159 0 
			 Dudley 11 52 0 
			 Durham 19 114 0 
			 Ealing 6 37 0 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 9 59 0 
			 East Sussex 21 143 0 
			 Enfield 4 16 0 
			 Essex 23 202 0 
			 Gateshead 6 27 0 
			 Gloucestershire 24 153 0 
			 Greenwich 5 24 0 
			 Hackney 2 8 0 
			 Halton 16 38 0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2 19 0 
			 Hampshire 27 246 0 
			 Haringey 9 50 0 
			 Harrow 4 25 0 
			 Hartlepool 3 22 0 
			 Havering 4 37 0 
			 Herefordshire 7 152 0 
			 Hertfordshire 16 83 0 
			 Hillingdon 5 38 0 
			 Hounslow 3 15 0 
			 Isle of Wight 2 5 0 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 
			 Islington 3 18 0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 2 18 0 
			 Kent 67 376 0 
			 Kingston upon Hull 10 67 0 
			 Kingston upon Thames 1 16 0 
			 Kirklees 11 96 0 
			 Knowsley 8 23 0 
			 Lambeth 8 36 0 
			 Lancashire 91 465 0 
			 Leeds 21 177 0 
			 Leicester City 6 45 0 
			 Leicestershire 26 93 0 
			 Lewisham 9 50 0 
			 Lincolnshire 27 155 0 
			 Liverpool 25 113 0 
			 Luton 5 29 0 
			 Manchester 31 173 0 
			 Medway Towns 3 21 0 
			 Merton 5 22 0 
			 Middlesbrough 5 24 0 
			 Milton Keynes 4 24 0 
			 Newcastle 8 51 0 
			 Newham 8 47 0 
			 Norfolk 32 176 1 
			 North East Lincolnshire 10 42 0 
			 North Lincolnshire 5 50 0 
			 North Somerset 1 4 0 
			 North Tyneside 6 25 0 
			 North Yorkshire 15 111 0 
			 Northamptonshire 17 119 0 
			 Northumberland 15 79 0 
			 Nottingham City 15 80 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 20 111 0 
			 Oldham 11 52 0 
			 Oxfordshire 12 124 0 
			 Peterborough 10 62 0 
			 Plymouth 4 10 0 
			 Poole 1 25 0 
			 Portsmouth 7 35 0 
			 Reading 3 15 0 
			 Redbridge 9 56 0 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 3 14 0 
			 Richmond upon Thames 0 0 0 
			 Rochdale 41 77 1 
			 Rotherham 7 38 0 
			 Rutland 1 11 0 
			 Salford 21 104 0 
			 Sandwell 6 25 0 
			 Sefton 25 153 0 
			 Sheffield 16 85 0 
			 Shropshire 66 273 0 
			 Slough 3 19 0 
			 Solihull 2 9 0 
			 Somerset 53 210 0 
			 South Gloucestershire 9 70 0 
			 South Tyneside 2 15 0 
			 Southampton 8 102 0 
			 Southend on Sea 4 24 0 
			 Southwark 3 17 0 
			 St. Helens 24 160 0 
			 Staffordshire 63 252 0 
			 Stockport 31 204 0 
			 Stockton on Tees 5 33 0 
			 Stoke on Trent 23 58 1 
			 Suffolk 17 155 0 
			 Sunderland 11 110 0 
			 Surrey 26 266 0 
			 Sutton 1 3 0 
			 Swindon 1 2 0 
			 Tameside 17 78 0 
			 Telford and Wrekin 29 99 0 
			 Thurrock 1 6 0 
			 Torbay 7 27 0 
			 Tower Hamlets 3 20 0 
			 Trafford 9 47 0 
			 Wakefield 11 49 0 
			 Walsall 13 60 0 
			 Waltham Forest 15 66 0 
			 Wandsworth 5 48 0 
			 Warrington 16 49 0 
			 Warwickshire 7 51 0 
			 West Berkshire (Newbury) 7 100 0 
			 West Sussex 40 205 0 
			 Westminster 1 6 0 
			 Wigan 10 44 0 
			 Wiltshire 16 98 0 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 0 0 0 
			 Wirral 15 51 0 
			 Wokingham 7 40 0 
			 Wolverhampton 12 61 0 
			 Worcestershire 10 136 0 
			 York 2 15 0 
			 Total 1,976 11,906 5

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many early years providers had an inadequate care judgment on more than one occasion in each year since 2005;
	(2)  how many nurseries Ofsted has prosecuted in each year since 2005;
	(3)  how many registrations of nurseries Ofsted  (a) cancelled and  (b) suspended in each year since 2005;
	(4)  how many early years providers had one or more inspection outcomes that resulted in enforcement action against them in each year since 2005.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 8 December 2008
	These are matters for Ofsted. The chief inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and copies of her replies will be placed in the Library.

Children: Day Care

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding will be provided to  (a) Romsey constituency,  (b) the City of Southampton and  (c) Test Valley Borough under the free childcare for training and learning for work scheme in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Free child care for training and learning for work, will be delivered by the Learning and Skills Council, rather than by local authorities. There will, accordingly be no funding allocations at local authority or sub-local authority level. Funding will be made available on the basis of demand across the country as a whole.

Children: Disadvantaged

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what information his Department holds on the number of children who are entitled to free school meals in each  (a) ward and  (b) lower super output area.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department holds data on the number of pupils who are eligible for free school meals who attended maintained schools in England. Tables showing the number of pupils who are eligible for free school meals in each ward and lower super output area in England have been placed in both the Libraries.

Children: Protection

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which of Lord Laming's recommendations made in the report of the Victoria Climbi inquiry are yet to be implemented; and how many were implemented within the recommended timescales.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and which of Lord Laming's 108 recommendations made in the Victoria Climbi inquiry are yet to be implemented; and how many of them were implemented within the advised timescales.

Beverley Hughes: This Government launched a radical programme of reform in response to Lord Laming's Inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbi. Through the Children Act 2004 we have put in place a much stronger framework for children's services and particularly for safeguarding children. The Government's detailed response to the recommendations of the Victoria Climbi Inquiry Report was set out in Keeping Children Safe which was published in 2003, alongside the Green Paper Every Child Matters.
	The actions the Government committed to undertaking in response to Lord Laming's recommendations have been carried out or are in progress; the one exception is the revision of guidance on the Children Act 1989. Volume 1, on Court Orders, has been revised and published, and many of the key messages which Keeping Children Safe said were to be incorporated in the revised Children Act 1989 guidance have been incorporated into other guidance documents and standards. We plan to revise further volumes of the 1989 guidance next year, taking into account commitments announced in Care Matters: Time for Change, legislative changes through the Children and Young Persons Act 2008, and proposed revisions to the National Minimum Standards for children's social care.

Children: Protection

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he has taken to increase the level of co-operative working between officials in his Department and health visitors on policies relating to safeguarding children.

Beverley Hughes: While responsibility for the recruitment, training and deployment of community nurses, including health visitors, falls to primary care trusts and is therefore under the oversight of the Department of Health (DH), my Department works closely with DH, health visitors and their representative body in particular in the development and implementation of health and safeguarding policies.
	Children's Trusts are the local partnerships which bring together the organisations responsible for services for children and families, including NHS bodies which employ health visitors, in a shared commitment to improve children's lives. The Government are working to strengthen Children's Trusts through revised statutory guidance issued on 18 November and further legislation.

Children: Protection

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children were killed or injured in each local authority area in Yorkshire and the Humber between April 2007 and August 2008; how many of these were on the Child Protection Register; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Information on the number of children killed or injured in each local authority area is not collected centrally. The Office for National Statistics collects information on the number of child deaths by local authority. Table 1 shows the count of deaths in children aged 0 to 17 for each local authority area in Yorkshire and the Humber.
	
		
			  Table 1: Counts of deaths( 1,2)  in children aged 0 to 17 years for each local authority area in Yorkshire and the Humber, 2007 
			   Deaths 
			 Yorks and the Humber 562 
			   
			 Barnsley 18 
			 Bradford 103 
			 Calderdale 21 
			 Doncaster 37 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 16 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 23 
			 Kirklees 57 
			 Leeds 80 
			 North East Lincolnshire 19 
			 North Lincolnshire 12 
			 North Yorkshire 40 
			 Rotherham 27 
			 Sheffield 63 
			 Wakefield 28 
			 York 18 
			 (1) Based on the calendar year 2007 (2) Deaths are assigned to the latest 2008 boundaries  Source: ONS 
		
	
	The available information on children subject to child protection plans is shown in the following table.
	Table 2 shows the number of children who were the subject of a Child Protection Plan at 31 March 2008, in each local authority area in Yorkshire and the Humber.
	
		
			  Table 2: Children( 1)  who were the subject of a Child Protection Planyear ending 31 March 2008 
			   Number 
			 Yorks and the Humber 2,835 
			   
			 Barnsley 150 
			 Bradford 255 
			 Calderdale 135 
			 Doncaster 325 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 110 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 125 
			 Kirklees 215 
			 Leeds 405 
			 North East Lincolnshire 90 
			 North Lincolnshire 90 
			 North Yorkshire 130 
			 Rotherham 235 
			 Sheffield 285 
			 Wakefield 210 
			 York 80 
			 (1) Includes unborn children. 
		
	
	The latest figures on the numbers and percentage of children subject to Child Protection Plans or placed on the Child Protection Register were published in a Statistical First Release (SFR) 24/2008 'Referrals, Assessments and Children and Young People who are the subject of a Child Protection Plan, EnglandYear ending 31 March 2008' on 16 September 2008. A copy of this release is available on my Department's website:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000811/index.shtml.

Children: Protection

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to prevent the occurrence of child abuse in the North East.

Beverley Hughes: This Government launched a radical programme of national reform in response to Lord Laming's inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbi. Through the Children Act 2004 we have put in place a much stronger framework for children's services and particularly for safeguarding children. The Government's detailed response to the recommendations of the Victoria Climbi inquiry report was set out in 'Keeping Children Safe' which was published in 2003, alongside the Green Paper 'Every Child Matters'. In November 2008 Lord Laming was asked to prepare an independent report of progress being made across the country in implementing the safeguarding reforms introduced in response to his original recommendations. His findings will be submitted early next year.
	The Government have also announced that all Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) responsible for serious case reviews (SCRs) which have been judged inadequate are being asked to convene an independently chaired panel to reconsider the review. This process will be applied to any future SCRs which are assessed to be inadequate. In addition, Ofsted will carry out unannounced annual inspections of children's services across the country.
	The Government office for the north-east monitors the performance of local authorities in the region and their partners on all outcomes of 'Every Child Matters', including on Staying Safe. Over the coming months there will be a particular focus on LSCBs' performance in relation to managing SCRs and improving the quality of the reviews and reports.

Climate Change

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment his Department has made of its capacity to adapt to climate change; and what plans he has to publish a climate change adaptation strategy.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In July 2008, the cross-Government Adapting to Climate Change Programme published Adapting to climate change in Englanda framework for action which set out the Government's strategy for adaptation and the work-plan for the cross-Government Programme for the next three years. This programme increases Government's capacity to adapt by ensuring a co-ordinated approach across all Departments and the public sector, and overall responsibility for it rests with DEFRA. Information about the Programme and its work can be found at:
	www.defra.gov/adaptation
	This includes taking forward work flowing from the Climate Change Actincluding a national Climate Change Risk Assessment and cost benefit analysis which will inform future priorities for the statutory adaptation programme that will then begin in 2012.
	The Government's longer term strategy on adapting to a changing climate will be set out in this statutory National Adaptation Programme, which will be reviewed and updated on a five year rolling basis in response to updated risk assessments, and report to Parliament.
	In addition, DCSF is continuing with its work looking at how a changing climate impacts each of the policy areas it has responsibility for, as well as working towards embedding adaptation into its corporate and policy decision making processes across the Department.
	DCSF are aiming for BREEAM excellence and higher for the new builds planned for Sheffield and Darlington sites in 2010 and 2012 respectively, incorporating sustainability in design and construction. Use of BREEAM assessments, as well as being a mandated requirement for Government new builds, considers the broad environmental concerns of climate change, resource use and impact on wildlife, balancing these against the need for a high quality, safe and healthy environment.

Coastal Areas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 1837-8W, on coastal areas, what matters his Department has placed on the agenda of the cross-departmental working group on seaside towns; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what involvement his Department has had with the Coastal Town Network; at what level his Department is represented; and what issues his Department has raised at the Network.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department for Children, Schools and Families is part of the cross-Government working group on coastal towns and has agreed to send appropriate representatives to its meetings where relevant matters arise. While the Department has not yet placed any issues on its agenda, we are committed to supporting its work to address the challenges faced by coastal towns, including in particular the need to improve educational achievement.

Community Relations

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he plans to take to ensure that staff in schools where safer school partnership officers are in place know about the characteristics that may help identify individuals vulnerable to violent extremism, as referred to in paragraph 148 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise.

Sadiq Khan: I have been asked to reply.
	A number of reviews took place over the summer which sought to draw out learning and emerging practice on the delivery of activity to prevent violent extremism, including the joint Audit Commission and HMIC Learning and Development Exercise (LDE). Though each review had a different focus, together they provide a useful package of learning material upon which local partners can draw and which will inform the Government's approach to Prevent.
	There are a number of common themes which run through all these reviews. Some of these require action from national Government, some from local partners and many from both. We have ensured wide distribution of the LDE report to enable local partners to benefit directly from the important learning it contains in taking forward their local Prevent response. We published Delivering PreventResponding to Learning on 10 December, which sets out the key strands of learning from the reviews and work already underway to address these key themes. We will continue to develop our response to the reviews throughout the year.
	I will place a copy of Delivering PreventResponding to Learning in the Library of the House.

Copyright

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his recent announcement on the extension of copyright term in principle extends to both performers and producers.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	As the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport said at the UK Music Creator's Conference on 11 December, he and the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, have been considering the arguments for an extension for performers from the current 50 years, perhaps to something like 70 years to match more closely a performer's expected lifetime. The debate on changes to the length of copyright term in this area is ongoing in Europe. We must ensure that the outcome of this debate delivers maximum benefits to performers and musicians. That is the test of any model as we go forward.

Curriculum

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he plans to take following the recommendations from Sir Jim Rose relating to the school curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Sir Jim Rose is leading an independent review of the primary curriculum. His interim report, published on 8 December 2008, made provisional recommendations. The Government look forward to receiving Sir Jim Rose's final report and recommendations in the spring.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many contracts his Department has which allow contractors to store personal data of UK citizens overseas; for which contracts this applies; in which countries the data for each contract is held; and how many people have their data stored overseas in the case of each such contract.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department does not collect information of this kind and an answer could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when his Department appointed a senior information risk owner in accordance with the report, Data Handling Procedures in Government and the accompanying document Cross-departmental Actions: Mandatory Minimum Action; and what grade the person holds within the Department.

Jim Knight: The director general of Corporate Services Directorate has formally acted as SIRO since November 2007, but acted as de facto SIRO since taking up the post. The director general of Corporate Services post holder is a DCSF management board member.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of the IT systems in his Department is fully accredited to the Government's security standards.

Jim Knight: Currently DCSF have eight systems or environments full accredited with a further two where accreditation is in development at the moment.

Departmental Energy

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to reduce the amount of energy it wastes.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government's Delivery Plan for Sustainable Procurement and Operations on the Government Estate, published in August 2008, provides a full account of the initiatives departments are taking to reduce their energy waste. The Government have committed to updating the Delivery Plan on a six monthly basis, and the first of these updates was published on 18 December 2008.

Departmental Equality

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what information his Department holds on the  (a) sex,  (b) ethnicity,  (c) age,  (d) disability,  (e) sexual orientation and  (f) religion or belief of its staff; and what assessment he has made of his Department's performance against its targets relating to diversity in its work force.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department holds information on all categories listed. Information on ethnicity, disability, religion and sexual orientation is based on voluntary, self-declaration.
	The Department's diversity targets to 2013 and current position are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Under-represented groups  July to September 2008  Target for 2013 
			 Women in Senior Civil Service (SCS) 47.37 50 
			 Women in top management positions 48.15 50 
			 BME in SCS 1.75 8 
			 Disabled in SCS 2.63 6 
			 Women in feeder grades(1) 51.66 50 
			 BME in feeder grades(1) 6.65 10 
			 Disabled staff feeder grades(1) 6.65 8 
			 (1) Feeder grades are employees in grade 6 and 7. Percentages are based on those who have declared (a number of employees have chosen not to).

Departmental Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many complaints about advertisements sponsored or funded by his Department were made to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in each year from 1997 to 2008; and how many of these were upheld by the ASA in each year.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department for Children, Schools and Families has existed since June 2007 and is unable, therefore, to provide figures going back to 1997.
	The ASA inform the Department about complaints received only when they judge that an investigation is required. They do not routinely notify the Department about the number received.
	At our request, the ASA have informed us that since June 2007 to 21 December 2008, they have received two complaints relating to two separate 'cases' (being an ad or campaign) of DCSF advertising. However, neither of these complaints resulted in an ASA investigation being launched.

Departmental Redundancy

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many of his Department's staff who left under  (a) an involuntary and  (b) a voluntary staff exit scheme in each year since it was established received a severance package of (i) up to 25,000, (ii) 25,001 to 50,000, (iii) 50,001 to 75,000, (iv) 75,001 to 100,000 and (v) over 100,000; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 1860-61W.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what criteria his Department employs to assess the effect of the education maintenance allowance; and what the performance was against such criteria in 2007-08.

Jim Knight: The education maintenance allowance (EMA) was introduced to incentivise more 16 to 19-year-olds from low income households to participate in post-16 learning. It was subject to comprehensive evaluation during pilots from 1999 through to national roll out from 2004. We have evidence on the impact these pilots had on both participation in full-time education and attainment by age 18.
	We do not know whether the impact of EMA has changed since national roll out because there is no comparison group in the United Kingdom where EMA is not available against which we could measure the 'EMA effect'. However, since EMA was rolled out there have been year on year increases in participation in full time education, and this is one of the most important initiatives aimed at increasing participation.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make an assessment of the effect of the operation of the education maintenance allowance on the social cohesion of school children; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Education maintenance allowance (EMA) is designed to help young people from low-income households to stay-on in education. Evaluation of the pilots showed that the impact is highest in those families with incomes below 20,000 and that there is a significant fall in take-up from families in the income ranges of just over 30,000. In designing the national programme, we used this evidence to make best use of the funds available for EMA. Experience in the pilots is that young people who are not eligible for EMA understand that, by setting an upper income threshold, we are focusing resources where they are most needed and will have the most impact.
	We continue to heed the views of young people about the scheme. Previously, a learner could receive a weekly payment for attending class even if they had been disruptive, uncooperative and lacking in effort. From September 2008 we have amended the criteria for payment of bonuses and weekly payments to include behaviour, punctuality, completing coursework on time and achievement of agreed learning goals. These changes emphasise the something for something approach of the scheme.
	Young people who were consulted were strongly in favour of this change. They think it is only fair that people are rewarded for effort and not for disruptive behaviour. Similarly feedback from learning providers shows that including an element of behaviour and effort will encourage learners to work hard and make progress.

Foster Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of foster parents offering places for children in care directly with local authorities and through agencies;
	(2)  what his estimate is of the difference between the number of children seeking foster care placements and the number of such placements which are available.

Beverley Hughes: Local authorities are responsible for securing sufficient and diverse placements that are appropriate for the needs of children they look after within their authority area.
	Information on the number of foster parents offering places for children in care directly with local authorities and through agencies is not collected centrally.
	Information on the number of children seeking foster care placements is also not collected centrally and so a difference cannot be calculated between these children seeking placements and the number of such placements available.
	However, information on the number of children looked after in foster placements can be found in table A3, taken from the Statistical First Release (SFR 23/2008) entitled 'Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers) year ending 31 March 2008'. This shows the number of children looked after at the 31 March for 2004 to 2008 by placement.
	The SFR is located at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000810/index.shtml
	and table A3 can be found within the excel link labelled National Tables.
	A table showing the number of children looked after in foster placements by local authority can be found in table LAA2 in the excel link (1st set of additional tables).

GCSE

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of pupils achieved five A* to C grade GCSEs including English, mathematics, science and a foreign language in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2008.

Jim Knight: The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils who achieved five or more grades A*-C including English, mathematics, science and a foreign language 
			   Percentage 
			 2008(1) 23.5 
			 1997(2) 14.7 
			 (1) 2008 is based on pupils at the end of KS4. (2) 1997 data is based on 15-year-old pupils at the start of the academic year.  Note: The 2008 data is provisional and subject to change.

GCSE

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of pupils obtained five grade A* to C GCSEs excluding equivalents in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2008.

Jim Knight: The information requested is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils who achieved five or more grades A*-C GCSEs excluding equivalents 
			   Percentage 
			 2008(1) 54.4 
			 1997(2) 45.0 
			 (1 )2008 is based on pupils at the end of KS4. (2) 1997 data is based on 15-year-old pupils at the start of the academic year.  Note: The 2008 data is provisional and subject to change.

General Certificate of Secondary Education: Standards

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of GCSE candidates resident in Enfield, Southgate constituency achieved A* to C grades in each examination taken in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The information requested by examination could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, figures showing the percentage of resident pupils in Enfield, Southgate achieving five or more A* to C grades are produced in the following table:
	
		
			  Percentage of resident pupils( 1)  achieving five or more A* to C grades at GCSE and equivalent 
			   Enfield, Southgate parliamentary constituency  Enfield local authority district 
			 2007/08(2) 75.2 59.9 
			 2006/07 71.2 57.2 
			 2005/06 67.5 54.8 
			 2004/05 63.6 52.3 
			 2003/04 72.4 53.0 
			 (1 )Figures for 2005/06 onwards are based on pupils at the end of key stage 4. Data for previous years are based on pupils aged 15-years-old at the start of the academic year. (2 )Provisional.

Gifted Children: Free School Meals

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils from  (a) primary schools and  (b) secondary schools participating in the Young, Gifted and Talented Programme are eligible to receive free school meals.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The CfBT Education Trust, which runs the Young Gifted and Talented Learner Academy, does not currently collect data about the eligibility of its members for free school meals.

National Assessment Agency

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which Minister approved the decision to establish the National Assessment Agency as a division of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority; and when that decision was taken.

Jim Knight: The former Secretary of State for Education and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, South (Mr. Clarke) announced to Parliament on 17 November 2003,  Official Report, column 25WS, that the QCA was proposing to establish the National Assessment Agency.

National Assessment Agency: Pay

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been paid on average in bonuses to officials at the  (a) National Assessment Agency and  (b) Qualification and Curriculum Authority in 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: For the financial year ending in March 2008, the average NAA bonus was 2,623 and the average QCA bonus (excluding NAA) was 2,206.
	Bonus payments are made after the end of the financial year to which they relate.

National Curriculum Tests

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the value is of the contract awarded to Edexcel to administer key stage 2 tests in 2009.

Jim Knight: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) announced Edexcel as its preferred bidder for the one-year contract to supply national curriculum test operation services for the 2009 series, on 31 December 2008. The contract, worth 25 million over the contract period, covers the supply of national curriculum test operation services for key stage 2 statutory tests and other non-statutory tests for the 2009 test cycle.

National Curriculum Tests

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to his oral statement on the Sutherland Inquiry, whether Ken Boston and David Gee will receive full pay during the period of their suspensions.

Jim Knight: Dr. Ken Boston and David Gee have been suspended on full pay pending the outcome of an internal QCA review.

National Curriculum Tests

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority discovered that ETS had lost the contract to administer the Graduate Management Admissions Test in the US, referred to in paragraph 2.18 of the Sutherland Inquiry report, HC 62.

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold this information. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) is responsible for the development and administration of National Curriculum tests. I have therefore asked the QCA to write to the hon. Member directly in response to this question.

Nursery Schools: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects the free nursery education entitlement change from 12.5 hours to 15 hours a week to be implemented in Leeds, West constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Leeds City council is a pathfinder local authority for the extension of the free early learning entitlement from 12  to 15 hours per week. At present, around 4,000 free early learning places of 15 hours have been secured across Leeds and we expect 15 hours to be available to almost all children in Leeds by autumn 2009. We cannot separately identify figures for the Leeds, West constituency.

Offenders

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many former prisoners are employed by his Department; and what his Department's policy is on employing former prisoners.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department undertakes employment history, Disclosure Scotland and Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks as appropriate. If these checks identify any issues around people with criminal records then suitability for employment is considered with the Department's interest paramount and the top priority is to safeguard the children and adults whom we serve.
	In addition, all individuals recruited to a regulated post, or to a post where they have access to personal or sensitive data about children or vulnerable adults, are subject to an enhanced CRB check.
	Although the information is used as part of the recruitment process, we do not then transfer any details on criminal records to the central personnel record and as such the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Parents: Advisory Services

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many calls there have been to the Parent Know-How helpline in each month since it was established; what the cost of the helpline has been; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 11 November 2008,  Official Report, column 45W. No further information is available at this stage about the number of calls answered since September 2008.

Personal Social and Health Education

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department has taken to strengthen and improve teaching in personal, social and health education.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The importance of good quality personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education has never been greater. PSHE education has a major contribution to make to young people's personal development and well-being. Therefore, on 23 October we announced our intention to make PSHE education statutory and launched an independent review to investigate how to achieve this in an effective and practicable way. Sir Alasdair Macdonald, head teacher at Morpeth School in Tower Hamlets, has been asked to lead the review and will report to Ministers with recommendations in April 2009.
	Alongside making PSHE statutory, our key delivery challenge is to develop the skills and confidence of the workforce that delivers PSHE education in schools. To address this, 2 million of funding is available each year to train teachers and professionals who deliver PSHE education in schools. We will encourage schools to use INSET to improve staff awareness on the duty to promote well-being and the importance of high quality PSHE education in particular. We are also working with the Training and Development Agency for Schools to develop a specialist route through initial teacher training.

Pupil Exclusions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of fixed period exclusions were given to pupils  (a) with special educational needs and  (b) entitled to free school meals in (i) secondary schools and (ii) primary schools in each year since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information on fixed period exclusions was collected for the first time for the school year 2003-04. The requested information on fixed period exclusions for pupils with special educational needs for years 2003-04 to 2006-07 is shown in the table.
	Information on fixed period exclusions by free school meals is only available for the years 2005-06 and 2006-07 and is shown in the table. The information for the year 2005-06 is not available for primary schools.
	
		
			  Primary and state funded secondary schools( 1,2) : number of episodes of fixed period exclusion by special educational needs( 3 ) 2003-04 to 2006-07( 4,5 ) England 
			   Maintained Primary schools  State funded secondary schools( 2) 
			   Number of exclusions  Percentage of fixed period exclusions( 6)  Number of exclusions  Percentage of fixed period exclusions( 6) 
			  2003-04( 4) 
			 Pupils with statements of SEN 5,610 13.6 20,430 7.1 
			 Pupils without statements of SEN(7) 35,690 86.4 267,600 92.9 
			  O f which: 
			 Pupils with SEN without statements 23,490 56.9 109,410 38.0 
			 Pupils with no SEN 12,200 29.5 158,190 54.9 
			 All pupils(8) 41,290 100.0 288,050 100.0 
			  2004-05( 4) 
			 Pupils with statements of SEN 5,730 13.1 21,980 6.7 
			 Pupils without statements of SEN(7) 37,990 86.9 307,700 93.3 
			  Of which: 
			 Pupils with SEN without statements 24,860 56.9 124,980 37.9 
			 Pupils with no SEN 13,130 30.0 182,710 55.4 
			 All pupils(9) 43,720 100.0 329,680 100.0 
			 2005-06(4,5) 
			 Pupils with statements of SEN n/a n/a 23,560 6.8 
			 Pupils without statements of SEN(7) n/a n/a 324,750 93.2 
			  Of which:0.0 
			 Pupils with SEN without statements n/a n/a 166,640 47.8 
			 Pupils with no SEN n/a n/a 158,120 45.4 
			 All pupils(10) n/a n/a 348,310 100.0 
			  2006-07( 4) 
			 Pupils with statements of SEN 6,240 13.6 23,660 6.5 
			 Pupils without statements of SEN(7) 39,470 86.3 339,530 93.5 
			  Of which: 
			 Pupils with SEN without statements 30,690 67.1 179,160 49.3 
			 Pupils with no SEN 8,780 19.2 160,370 44.1 
			 All pupils(11) 45,730 100.0 363,270 100.0 
			 n/a = Not available (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes both CTCs and Academies. (3) The number of episodes of fixed period exclusion, a pupil may receive more than one fixed period exclusions during the year. (4) In 2003-04, information on fixed period exclusions was collected for the first time via the Termly Exclusions Survey. (5) For the 2005-06 school year, only information on fixed period exclusions from secondary schools was available. (6) The number of fixed period exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of all pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) in January each year. (7) Includes pupils with no identified SEN and those pupils with SEN without statements. (8) Totals include 12 fixed period exclusions for which SEN status was not known. These have been included in the total column only. (9) Totals include 2 fixed period exclusions for which SEN status was not known. These have been included in the total column only. (10) Totals include 48 fixed period exclusions for which SEN status was not known. These have been included in the total column only. (11) Totals include 140 fixed period exclusions for which SEN status was not known. These have been included in the total column only. Totals may not appear to equal the sum of component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  School Census 
		
	
	
		
			  Primary, secondary and special schools( 1,2,3: ) number of episodes of fixed period exclusions by free school meal eligibility 2005-06 and 2006-07: England 
			   Maintained primary schools  State funded secondary schools( 2) 
			   Number of exclusions  Proportion of fixed period exclusions( 4)  Number of exclusions  Proportion of fixed period exclusions( 4) 
			  2005-06( 5) 
			 Fixed period exclusions 
			 Pupils eligible for free schools meals (7) (7) 105,530 30.3 
			 Other pupils (7) (7) 238,280 68.4 
			 All pupils(6) (7) (7) 348,410  
			  2006-07 (7) (7)   
			 Fixed period exclusions 
			 Pupils eligible for free schools meals 21,020 46.0 109,940 30.3 
			 Other pupils 24,250 53.0 251,450 69.2 
			 All pupils(8) 45,730 (9) 363,270 (9) 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes both CTCs and Academies. Information is as reported by schools. (3) Includes both maintained special schools and non-maintained special schools. (4) The number of fixed period exclusions expressed as a percentage of all fixed period exclusions. (5) For 2005-06 a change in the underlying method of data collection means that data on fixed period exclusions from primary and special schools is not available. (6) Totals include 4,600 fixed period exclusions with unclassified free school meal eligibility. (7) Not available. (8 )Totals include 2,529 fixed period exclusions with unclassified free school meal eligibility. (9) Not applicable.  Note: Totals may not appear to equal the sum of component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  School Census

Schools: Catering

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress has been made towards re-installing kitchens in schools from which they had been removed.

Beverley Hughes: The Department does not collect this information.
	However, over the next three years, we are providing a record 21.9 billion of capital support for investment in school buildings. Much of this funding is devolved to local authorities and schools for their local priorities, which can include installing or improving school kitchens and dining areas. In addition to this funding, from April 2008 until March 2011, we are making available 150 million of targeted capital grant specifically to help improve kitchens and dining areas.

Schools: Reorganisation

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will review the appropriateness of arrangements for the amalgamation of local authority education and children's social services; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: There is wide agreement that the outcomes we want for every child can only be achieved and sustained when agencies work together. The role of the Director of Children's Services brings together local authority services for children and young people to ensure joint working, and to champion the interests of children and young people in the local area. There is no intention to review these arrangements.

Schools: Standards

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Making Good Progress pilot scheme;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the performance levels in single level tests undertaken under the Making Good Progress pilot scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Making Good Progress is a two year pilot, due to run until July 2009. It is being independently evaluated by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The interim report on the first year of the pilot has been published and a copy has been sent to the Chairman of the Select Committee for Children, Schools and Families. The report includes the summary of the December 2007 and June 2008 single level test results.
	A final evaluation report which will make an assessment about the effectiveness of the pilot and its elements over the full two years is due to be published in the autumn of 2009.

Schools: Standards

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools have joined the National Challenge as a consequence of their 2008 GCSE results.

Jim Knight: Final validated GCSE results for 2008 are not yet available. However, since the National Challenge was launched we have been working with local authorities to identify bespoke packages of support for schools with fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils gaining 5 A*-C including English and mathematics, and for those deemed at risk of falling below this threshold.
	Individual local authorities will shortly publish their plans for all schools which are being supported by National Challenge so that local parents can see details of the proposed support.

Secondary Education: Coastal Areas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the most recent Ofsted inspection grades were for each secondary school that serves the principal seaside towns of England; and what the national average was of such grades.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of her reply will be placed in both Libraries.

Sixth Form Colleges: Finance

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what tasks he has asked each Government Office to undertake relating to the proposed changes to the funding and management of sixth form colleges; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Government offices (GOs) will have no direct role in funding and management of sixth form colleges in the new system. Local authorities will be accountable for the performance management of sixth form colleges in the new system where there will be a legally distinct Sixth Form College sector.
	Responsibility for the planning, commissioning and funding for education and training for 16 to 19-year-olds will transfer to local authorities; supported by a new Young People's Learning Agency. GOs will contribute to discussion of regional priorities and support local authorities in undertaking their new responsibilities. They are, and will continue to be, a conduit for information to flow from sub-regional groupings (SRGs) to the Department. During the transition to the new system GOs are playing an important role in supporting local authorities and working with other regional bodies to prepare. In particular they have been supporting the development of SRGs in preparation for the transfer of 16 to 19 funding from the Learning and Skills Council to local authorities. The Department will be allocating funding via Government offices to SRGs to help build their capacity through this process.

Social Services: Children

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the names and positions are of the chairs of each Local Safeguarding Board; and which of those chairs hold the positions concurrently with a position of director of children's services or any other local authority appointment relating to child protection.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 10 December 2008
	 The list of the Chairs of Local Safeguarding Children Boards, which includes information about Chairs who hold the positions concurrently with a position of Director of Children's Services or any other local authority appointment relating to child protection, is available on the Every Child Matters website. The website address to access the list is:
	http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/IG00079/.

Social Services: Temporary Employment

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of those working in social services departments in each local authority area in England were agency staff in each of the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The number and percentage of agency staff working in social services departments by local authority is not held centrally. The Local Government Association estimated that the average percentage of agency staff working in posts for children and young people within local authority social services departments in England in 2006 was 13 per cent. This was estimated to equate to around 5,488 agency staff covering a range of roles including field social workers, residential care workers and admin staff. Further information is available from the Local Government Analysis and Research website:
	http://www.lgar.local.gov.uk/lgv/core/page.do?pageId=12636

Social Workers: Disclosure of Information

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families by what date he expects the confidential whistleblowers' hotline for social workers announced by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to be operational; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM chief inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Library.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 19 December 2008:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	Ofsted is currently investigating options for establishing the whistleblowers' hotline. We would expect it to be operational from April 2009.
	At present, it is possible for anyone with concerns to raise these anonymously by contacting Ofsted's National Business Unit, the details of which can be found on the Ofsted website www.ofsted.gov.uk.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for School and Learners, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.

Specialised Diplomas

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools have received money for introducing new diploma courses; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: We do not hold information at school level on funding that schools receive for diploma delivery. In 2008-09, funding was available to schools delivering diplomas from the following sources:
	The diploma grant to support the additional costs of delivery for 14 to 16-year-olds (a total of 17.4 million distributed through 100 local authorities to consortia delivering diplomas for 8,568 learners);
	Funding for 16 to 18-year-olds in school sixth forms distributed by LSC (a total of 3,504 16 to 18-year-olds are being funded in schools and colleges at the relevant funding rate for the line and level of learning they are studying); and
	A total of 56.12 million to develop the work force in schools and colleges.
	In addition to these, we have made available funding to support consortia approved through the Gateway process to prepare for delivery. We have provided 30,000 per consortium per line of learning for those starting to deliver diploma courses in September 2008. For the seven consortia due to deliver all 10 diploma lines from September 2009, we have this year supported them with an extra 1 million each to build the necessary capacity.
	We have also given the 20 most rural local authorities an extra 1 million each to support innovation in implementation of 14-19 reforms in rural areas. For the 40 most rural local authorities, there is funding of a total of 3 million to support the post of transport and access co-ordinator. There is also 608 million in targeted capital funding available across the 76 local authorities not involved in waves 1-6 of Building Schools for the Future (8 million for each local authority) to spend on either 14-19 or special educational needs.
	Schools, colleges, local authorities and others can access existing funding streams to help 14-19 reforms, which include Building Schools for the Future, the Further Education Modernisation Fund and the 16-19 Capital Fund.

Sports: Curriculum

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what place there will be for co-operative sport in the new primary curriculum.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The detail of the revised primary curriculum will be set out in the final report of the Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum in spring 2009. The Independent Review is working with the Association for Physical Education, the Youth Sports Trust and other relevant organisations to develop physical education content, including co-operative sport, in the new primary curriculum.

Sports: Curriculum

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what part physical education lessons will play in the new primary curriculum.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Physical education will continue to play an important part in the primary curriculum. The detail of the knowledge, skills and understanding all primary aged pupils should be taught in physical education and other subject areas will be set out in the final report of the Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum next spring.

Sports: Curriculum

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment has been made of the impact of the provision of the new primary curriculum relating to physical education on childhood obesity rates.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: No assessment has been made. The Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum has only published an interim report. The interim report makes explicit the link between physical development and health. Work is currently taking place on the detailed content of the programmes of learning to be published with the final report next spring.

Trust Schools

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many schools in  (a) Herefordshire,  (b) Shropshire,  (c) Worcestershire and  (d) the West Midlands have applied for trust status;
	(2)  who the main external partners supporting Herefordshire Trust Schools will be; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Schools do not have to apply to the Department for Children, Schools and Families to become a trust or foundation school. Proposals are decided by the governing body (or the Schools Adjudicator where proposals to acquire a trust have been referred by the local authority). There is no role for Ministers in the decision-making process.
	To date, seven schools in  (a) Herefordshire, no schools in  (b) Shropshire, seven schools in  (c) Worcestershire, and 67 schools in  (d) West Midlands (including Herefordshire and Worcestershire) have either applied or established a trust under the provisions of the Education and Inspections Act 2006. All 67 schools are on the Trust and Foundation Schools Support programme where they have access to advice and guidance on the processes associated with acquiring a Trust.
	Schools in Herefordshire are consulting about the acquisition of a trust, including who their partners will be. Trust partners are available from individual governing bodies through the publication of statutory proposals.

JUSTICE

Community Sentences: Offensive Weapons

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many individuals have been sentenced to intensive unpaid work in the 10 knife action programme areas for knife-related crimes.

David Hanson: Finalised sentencing data for the 10 Tackling Knives Action Programme (TKAP) areas in 2008 will not be available until Sentencing Statistics 2008 is published in November 2009.
	From 5 January probation areas have been instructed to make intensive unpaid work of any sentence length, to the maximum of 300 hours, available for offenders convicted of knife crime offences. Under this revised definition of intensive unpaid work, offenders will be required to complete unpaid work at a minimum of 18 hours per week and may also be required to comply with other community order requirements designed to address offending behaviour.

Courts: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will develop a strategy for dealing with civil cases in the county courts in Essex; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: There are five county courts in Essex, located at Basildon, Harlow, Chelmsford, Colchester and Southend. Basildon and Harlow are relatively small and only sit District Judges. Chelmsford is the Care Centre for the whole of Essex and Colchester and Southend are both Trial Centres. We are currently reviewing the listing arrangements, mainly for the Circuit Judges, with a view to ensuring that the courthouses and judiciary are being utilised in the most effective and efficient way to deliver the best service we can to the court users of Essex.
	During 2009, the plan is for civil work at Southend to change from being listed for a single Circuit Judge every day and towards listing for two Circuit Judges sitting together for up to two weeks each month still at Southend. This will facilitate a back to back listing system for multi track cases increasing throughput, disposal rates and, ultimately, reducing waiting times.
	Chelmsford county court moved into a new building in December 2007 which provides modern improved facilities and additional courtrooms and hearing rooms. Again, during 2009, the plan is to create a similar back to back listing system for both Chelmsford and Colchester multi-track work at Chelmsford with Ipswich civil cases being listed from Ipswich. Some civil work and private family law work will remain at Colchester. All Essex county court public law family work will continue to be listed at Chelmsford where the Family Proceedings Court work for Chelmsford is also heard now. This will enable Circuit Judges to sit back to back on public law and civil work.
	In summary, therefore, the objectives in this review of Essex civil listing are:
	To reduce waiting times and improve our customer service to all Essex court users.
	Make best use of court accommodation and judicial resources.
	List more effectively and with greater certainty.

Courts: Fines

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many fines imposed by courts in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06,  (d) 2006-07 and  (e) 2007-08 remain unpaid.

Bridget Prentice: Although my Department identifies the total value of fines owed and the total value of fines collected within each police force area, current management information systems do not allow for these to be separated into those imposed and paid within a single year. It is therefore not possible to say how many fines imposed in a year remain unpaid.
	However the following table contains amounts that have been owed and collected in the last five years.
	
		
			   New net amount owed ()  Amount paid ()  Payment rate (percentage) 
			 2003-04 288,923,893 212,785,348 74 
			 2004-05 276,717,475 221,505,558 80 
			 2005-06 281,231,031 233,332,326 83 
			 2006-07 266,533,663 244,555,540 92 
			 2007-08 270,341,364 256,117,663 95 
		
	
	This table indicates that there has been year on year increases in the payment rate for financial penalties.

Crime: Compensation

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many and what percentage of claims the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority  (a) received and  (b) processed where a civil claim was also outstanding in (i) 2007 and (ii) 2008;
	(2)  how many and what percentage of Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority claims where a civil claim was also outstanding were completed before the civil claim was completed in  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2008.

Maria Eagle: These statistics are not kept. To obtain such information would require a manual search of each application received and processed for the last two yearsto do so would incur a disproportionate cost.

Crime: Compensation

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority practice of continuing to process applications when other claims are being pursued will be discontinued.

Maria Eagle: The criminal injuries compensation scheme 2008, introduced on 3 November 2008, states that
	A claims officer may require an applicant to provide details of any steps taken or planned to obtain damages or compensation in respect of the same injury and may decline to process an application further until those details have been provided or until the applicant's attempts to obtain such damages or compensation have been exhausted.
	There are no plans to change this position.

Crime: Compensation

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the tariffs applied by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority were last increased.

Maria Eagle: The criminal injuries compensation scheme 2008, introduced on 3 November 2008, includes an amended Tariff of Injuries, which re-categorises some of the injuries contained in the previous tariff and increases the tariff level of award for some categories of injury.

Crime: Compensation

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what consideration was given to increasing the tariffs applied by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority in the recent review of the scheme;
	(2)  what consideration was given to increasing the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority's 1996 cap of 500,000 in line with inflation or otherwise in the recent review of the scheme.

Maria Eagle: Following consultation, launched in December 2005 by the green paper Rebuilding Lives: supporting victims of crime, working groups were set up to discuss the appropriate levels for the tariff.
	The tariff scheme was introduced to stop the costs of the scheme rising at a rate that was no longer sustainable for a scheme funded by the taxpayer. A balance therefore has to be struck between competing demands for finite public resources, and what the taxpayer can afford against what is a reasonable amount of compensation for victims of violent crime.
	The criminal injuries compensation scheme of Great Britain is probably the most generous scheme in the world for compensating innocent victims of violent crime. With regards to the maximum cap of 500,000, nearly all state compensation schemes in the European Union have a maximum cap, and it is usually far lower than 500,000.

Crime: Compensation

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in how many Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority cases the cap has been applied in each year since its introduction.

Maria Eagle: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority does not keep statistics on the number of cases where the cap has been applied.
	The number of cases in which the maximum award was paid are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 1996-97 0 
			 1997-98 0 
			 1998-99 1 
			 1999-2000 0 
			 2000-01 2 
			 2001-02 1 
			 2002-03 4 
			 2003-04 5 
			 2004-05 10 
			 2005-06 14 
			 2006-07 28 
			 2007-08 41 
			 2008-09 (1)48 
			 (1) As at 17 December 2008

Crime: Compensation

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what factors the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority considered when setting the appropriate level of compensation for the loss of one kidney at 11,000.

Maria Eagle: The tariff is not set by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority but by Ministers with the approval of Parliament.
	Following consultation, launched by the Government in December 2005 by the green paper 'Rebuilding Lives: supporting victims of crime', working groups were set up to discuss the appropriate levels for the tariff.
	Representatives on the working groups included judges from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel, lawyers from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, Home Office and Ministry of Justice and policy advisors from the sponsor Department and Scottish Executive.
	Advice was sought from panel members with medical knowledge and consultant status. They advised that the human body can function as normal with one kidney. Therefore 11,000 was considered to be a more appropriate level of award for this injury.
	This decision was approved by Parliament.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of the IT systems in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies are fully accredited to the Government's security standards.

Michael Wills: All the IT environments in the Department and its agencies have been fully accredited to Government security standards; a number of these are currently undergoing their periodic re-accreditation. All new applications must be accredited before they are accepted into service.

Enforcement Restriction Orders

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many enforcement restriction orders have been granted by the county courts in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The county courts have not granted any enforcement restriction orders (EROs) because the provisions have not yet been introduced. Our current intention is to implement the ERO in 2010.
	The ERO scheme was enacted in Chapter 2 of Part 5 of the Tribunals Courts and Enforcement Act 2007. It was developed following extensive consultation with the advice and credit sectors. It is intended specifically to support only those debtors who encounter unforeseen short-term difficulties from which they are likely to recover in a relatively short period. Other options, such as the reformed Administration Order (AO), which is contained in Chapter 1 of Part 5 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, exist for those with more long-term problems.
	Earlier this year Her Majesty's Court Service consulted on certain aspects of the Administration and Enforcement Restriction Order schemes, including the types of debts that should be able to be protected. The response to the consultation paper: Administration and Enforcement Restriction Orders: setting the parameters, will be published shortly.

HMP Whitemoor: Discrimination

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 873-4W, on prisons: complaints, how many complaints by prison officers have been made against fellow officers at HMP Whitemoor on the grounds of  (a) sexual discrimination,  (b) sexual harassment,  (c) homophobic behaviour and  (d) racial discrimination in each of the last 10 years; what proportion of these complaints were upheld; what proportion of those making such complaints received compensation payments; and how much each received.

Shahid Malik: Information held locally by the establishment is only readily available for the period since 2001-02. The table lists those cases involving complaints made by prison officers about fellow officers.
	
		
			  Year  Number of cases  Type of complaint  Complaint upheld/dismissed 
			 2001-02 2 Racial discrimination Upheld 
			 2002-03 1 Sexual harassment Upheld 
			 2003-04 1 Sexual discrimination Dismissed 
			  1 Sexual discrimination Partially upheld 
			 2004-05 1 Racial discrimination Upheld 
			 2005-06 None   
			 2006-07 3 Racial discrimination Upheld 
			  1 Racial discrimination(1) Upheld 
			  2 Racial discrimination Dismissed 
			 2007-08 1 Homophobic behaviour Upheld 
			  1 Sexual harassment Partially upheld 
			 2008-09(2) None   
			 (1) This case also involved complaints made against staff from other areas of the Prison Service. (2) To end 12/2008 
		
	
	Payments were made in two of these cases which were both the subjects of confidentiality agreements. To identify amounts paid, or which cases were involved would breach that agreement, and may enable individuals to be identified.

Human Trafficking: Refuges

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding the Home Office has provided for the Poppy Project in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The Poppy project is jointly funded by the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office. The following table provides a breakdown of grant funding in the last five years.
	
		
			   
			  Financial year  HO  M O J  Funding 
			 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2006 (1)2,000,000  2,000,000 
			 
			 2006-07 (1)900,000  1,200,000 
			  (2)300,000   
			 
			 2007-08 (1)1,000,000  1,300,000 
			  (2)300,000   
			 
			 2008-09 (2)400,000 (1)900,000 1,300,000 
			 (1 )OCJR (2) CRCSG

Intellectual Property

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the UK will implement Article 4 of the Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive (2004/48/EC); and what assessment he has made of the recommendations of the Civil Justice Council that it should be implemented.

Bridget Prentice: Article 4 of the Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive (2004/48/EC) sets out who has an entitlement to make an application for the provisions available under the Directive. Subsections  (a) and  (b), which recognise the entitlement of holders of intellectual property rights and those authorised to use those rights, have already been implemented. Subsections  (c) and  (d) require member states to introduce representative actions if they are recognised by the applicable law. UK domestic law does not permit representative actions and so these articles do not apply in cases where the applicable law is that of the UK.
	The Civil Justice Council published their final recommendations to improve access to justice for consumers and small businesses in collective claims on 12 December, although it does not make a specific recommendation on article 4. This report is being considered across Government and we will publish a formal response as soon as possible.

National Offender Management Service: Manpower

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the National Offender Management Service staff's training record is based on a prison service template.

Shahid Malik: There is no prison service template for recording staff training. It is for individual prison establishments and headquarters groups to maintain training records in the most effective way for them.

National Offender Management Service: Religion

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will issue guidance to the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) to prevent religious groups and individuals working or volunteering in NOMS from promoting their religions.

Shahid Malik: Religious groups and individuals working or volunteering in NOMS are required to comply with NOMS Diversity policies. Chaplains and Chaplaincy volunteers, in providing religious teaching and support, are not permitted to proselytize in their work with offenders.
	Staff employed by NOMS must not discriminate unlawfully against individuals or groups of individuals because of their religion. They must not harass others through behaviour, language and other unnecessary and uninvited actions. Nor must staff have private interests that interfere or could interfere with the proper discharge of their duties.

Prisoners: Women

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  which  (a) publicly funded and  (b) privately run women's prisons provide specialist help for inmates who have self-harmed; and in each case whether such help in each prison is made available on a permanent or temporary basis;
	(2)  how many inmates there are in each  (a) publicly funded and  (b) privately run women's prison; and how many inmates in each had self-harmed in the last 12 months.

David Hanson: NOMS is committed to reducing the number of self harm incidents in prison custody. Whilst most self harm is not directly life threatening it can be extremely distressing for those who have to deal with it.
	A prisoner focussed care planning system, (ACCT), for those identified at risk has helped prisons manage self harm. The Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork, (ACCT), aims to improve the quality of care by introducing flexible care-planning that is individually based, supported by improved staff training in assessing and understanding at risk prisoners.
	The following programmes have been specifically developed to meet the needs of women:
	CARE Programme, (Choices, Actions, Relationships and Emotions) has been developed specifically for women convicted of violent and/or substance-related offences. The programme addresses a number of personal and circumstantial difficulties known to be linked to self harm, substance misuse, mental ill-health, violence and reoffending. The programme was piloted in two public sector prisons and an accreditation submission will be made to Correctional Services Accreditation Panel, (CSAP), in summer 2009.
	The Carousel programme was designed to meet the needs of women displaying repetitive self harming behaviour, many of whom are also disruptive or violent. It consists of a rolling group support programme combined with individual counselling, physical exercise and relaxation, educational activity, art therapy and music lessons. The development of alternative coping skills is a key element running through the programme. The programme, funded by the primary care trust, is run at Eastwood Park,
	a public sector prison.
	Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is a programme developed specifically for women with borderline personality disorder and who have shown a high risk of self harm or are high risk offenders. An adapted version of DBT is being run at Holloway as part of the Holloway Skills Training (HoST) programme, and at Low Newton as part of the Dangerous Severe Personality Disorder (DSPD) Primrose programme. Both prisons are public sector establishments.
	A new pilot has been launched at HMP Bronzefield, to help to tackle self-harm among its population. The Self-Harm Reduction programme, (SHaRP), aims to aid the women in developing coping strategies, problem-solving techniques, communication and goal-setting skills to help to control their self-harming behaviour. The programme takes place over 14 group sessions during a period of three weeks; and there are also opportunities for one-to-one sessions twice weekly by appointment. Once the initial three-week programme is completed, there is a six week gap before the women are assessed again by SHaRP staff. The SHaRP programme started in April 2008 for an initial 12 month period, with a view to extend. However it will be fully evaluated at the end of this initial period. In addition the three day SAFE programme, (whose goal is to reduce self harm), has also been running at Bronzefield since 2004 and is currently being evaluated by a forensic psychologist from NOMS.
	The following table details the current prisons which hold females, by funding sector; their populations ((a)) and their recorded numbers of self-harming individuals, for the period in question (December 2007 to November 2008).
	
		
			  Prison  Sector  Function  Population( 1)  Individual self-harmers 
			 Askham Grange Public Female Open 104 0 
			 Bronzefield Private Female Local 457 424 
			 Downview Public Female closed 353 6 
			 Drake Hall Public Female Semi Open 262 34 
			 East Sutton Park Public Female Open 89 0 
			 Eastwood Park Public Female closed 316 426 
			 Foston Hall Public Female closed 259 332 
			 Holloway Public Female Local 490 348 
			 Low Newton Public Female Local 297 348 
			 Morton Hall Public Female Semi Open 392 51 
			 New Hall Public Female Local 427 506 
			 Peterborough Female(2) Private Mixed Local n/r 310 
			 Send Public Female closed 275 114 
			 Styal Public Mixed Local 440 378 
			 (1) These figures are mid-year snapshot averages. (2) Although a split-site mixed Local, HMP Peterborough submits a single population figure for both male and female sites (994 in June).

Terrorism: Compensation

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many final Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority awards have been paid to those injured in the 7 July 2005 bombings.

Maria Eagle: As at 19 December 2008, 533 final payments had been made to victims injured in the bombings.

Terrorism: Compensation

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority applications by those injured in the 7 July 2005 bombings  (a) remain unfinalised,  (b) have resulted in interim payments and  (c) have not resulted in payments; and how many of those applicants received a payment in excess of 500,000.

Maria Eagle: As at 19 December 2008:
	 (a) Of the 645 applications received, 47 applications remain unfinalised, although final offers have been made in 14 of those cases.
	 (b) Of the 33 applications yet to receive a final offer, 20 have received an interim payment.
	 (c) 13 applicants have not yet received any interim payment either because questions remain about eligibility or contact has been lost with the applicant.
	No awards in excess of 500,000 have been paid as this is the maximum award payable under the scheme.

Community Relations

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that information held by the security services, police counter-terrorism specialists and the Counter Terrorism Network is shared more effectively with local councils and Basic Command Unit commanders in response to the recommendation at paragraph 20 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that police services provide targeted assistance to people who are at risk of falling under the influence of extremism, as referred to in paragraph 36 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise;
	(3)  what plans  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's Research Information and Communications Unit have to respond to the recommendation on page 13 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise on using the experience of small partnerships;
	(4)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that partnerships  (a) regularly reassess their readiness to cope with a counter-terrorism operation in their area and  (b) ensure that learning from experiences elsewhere is incorporated in their consequence management arrangement, as recommended on page 28 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise;
	(5)  what response he plans to make to the Audit Commission's recommendation that the Security Service, the Association of Chief Police Officers and regional government offices develop an agreed structure for information sharing at an appropriate level between the police, councils and other partners, referred to on page 22 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise;
	(6)  what response he plans to make to the Audit Commission's recommendation that reliable information flows between councils and police forces serving similar communities across the UK be developed, as contained in paragraph 75 of its November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise;
	(7)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that all neighbourhood policing teams are provided with sufficient  (a) briefing and  (b) awareness-raising training on extremism and terrorism, as mentioned in paragraph 118 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise;
	(8)  whether he plans to increase engagement between neighbourhood policing teams, council officers delivering frontline services and local communities, as suggested in paragraph 117 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise;
	(9)  what steps he plans to take to establish the effective local links between partnerships and prisons and probation services referred to in paragraph 112 of the Audit Commission report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise;
	(10)  what steps he plans to take to improve the engagement between the Counter Terrorism Network and borough command units referred to in paragraph 111 of the Audit Commission report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise.

Sadiq Khan: I have been asked to reply.
	A number of reviews took place over the summer which sought to draw out learning and emerging practice on the delivery of activity to prevent violent extremism, including the joint Audit Commission and HMIC Learning and Development Exercise (LDE). Though each review had a different focus, together they provide a useful package of learning material upon which local partners can draw and which will inform the Government's approach to Prevent.
	There are a number of common themes which run through all these reviews. Some of these require action from national Government, some from local partners and many from both. We have ensured wide distribution of the LDE report to enable local partners to benefit directly from the important learning it contains in taking forward their local Prevent response. We published Delivering PreventResponding to Learning on 10 December, which sets out the key strands of learning from the reviews and work already underway to address these key themes. We will continue to develop our response to the reviews throughout the year.
	I will place a copy of Delivering PreventResponding to Learning in the Library of the House.

HEALTH

Anaemia

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what guidelines his Department provides to GPs on the treatment of pernicious anaemia;
	(2)  what quantitative data his Department has compiled on the incidence of pernicious anaemia by  (a) geographical location,  (b) age and  (c) presence of existing auto-immune disease;
	(3)  what steps his Department is taking to increase  (a) prevention and  (b) diagnosis of pernicious anaemia in infants and juveniles;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of awareness among medical professionals of the prevalence of pernicious anaemia;
	(5)  if he will give consideration to the replacement of treatments of hydroxocobalamin with cyanacobalamin; and what research his Department has commissioned into such treatment;
	(6)  if he will make routine pernicious anaemia testing available to vulnerable groups.

Ann Keen: The Department has not issued any recent guidance to general practitioners (GPs) on treatment of pernicious anaemia.
	The Department does not itself compile any quantitative data on incidence of pernicious anaemia, as this condition is generally treated by GPs at primary care level. The link between low vitamin B12 status and subsequent development of adverse health outcomes and the incidence and prevalence of such outcomes is unclear. Some data are available from the General Practice Research Database (GPRD) which contains longitudinal medical records from approx 420 primary care practices throughout the United Kingdom (4 per cent. of total number in UK). The following table shows the number of patients (aged 65 years and over) in the GPRD with at least one record of pernicious anaemia (2005).
	
		
			  Number of patients (aged 65 years and over) in the GPRD (2005) with at least one record of pernicious anaemia and at least one prescription for vitamin B12 
			  Country  Number of patients  As percentage of total number of patients aged 65 years and over registered in the GPRD for 2005* 
			 England 406 0.11 
			 Wales 23 0.10 
			 Scotland 44 0.27 
			 Northern Ireland 15 0.12 
			 Total 488 0.12 
			  Source: General Practice Research Database 
		
	
	There are no steps currently being taken by the Department to increase prevention and diagnosis of pernicious anaemia in infants and juveniles. This is an extremely rare condition in children.
	Assessments of medical professionals and their awareness of pernicious anaemia are not matters for the Department. It would be for the relevant specialist professional bodies such as the Royal College of Pathologists to provide guidance and professional development on matters relating to haematology.
	Hydroxocobalamin is recommended in preference to cyanacobalamin by the Joint Formulary Committee of the British National Formulary, because it is retained in the body longer than cyanocobalamin and maintenance is thus required less frequently, at intervals of up to three months. The Department has not commissioned research into these treatments.
	The UK National Screening Committee has not recommended in favour of routine screening for pernicious anaemia. However, the Committee does recommend that all pregnant women should be offered a test for anaemia (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Routine Antenatal Care Guideline).

Aseptic Dispensing

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has provided to hospital trusts on aseptic dispensing.

Phil Hope: Guidance was last issued by the Department in August 1997 in Aseptic Dispensing in National Health Service Hospitals (EL(97)52). A copy of this guidance has been placed in the Library. In addition, the National Health Service Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance Committee updated its publication Quality Assurance of Aseptic Preparation Services in October 2005.

Baby Care Units: Nurses

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of neonatal nursing staff in  (a) Gloucestershire and  (b) England; whether he plans to provide funding to increase those numbers; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) in partnership with local authorities, strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, and to commission services accordingly. On 25 January 2008, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced that PCT baselines for 2008-092010-11 included 330 million of extra funding to support improvements in maternity services.
	In response to the National Audit Report 2007 Caring for Vulnerable Babies the Department set up a Neonatal Taskforce which is working to develop targeted action plans to assist local workforce decision making incorporating skill mix, staffing levels, retention, recruitment and commissioning of education and training.
	Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is using agency nurses to ensure adequate services continue to be provided. The Trust has put in place a 'grow your own' policy sponsoring nurses to go onto appropriate neonatal nurse courses and to ensure that their reliance on agency nurses is reduced in future years.

British National Formulary

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 21 October 2008,  Official Report, column 302W, on the British National Formulary, whether the distribution to hospital doctors has taken place.

Dawn Primarolo: Yes. The Department of Health's distribution of the September 2008 edition of the British National Formulary (British National Formulary 56) has been completed. Guidance for National Health Service organisations that need to order additional copies of the British National Formularies for their prescribers, is available on the Department of Health's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_081420
	A copy of the guidance has also been placed in the Library.

Cancer

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's presentation to the Cancer Policy Forum by Teresa Moss of June 2008.

Ann Keen: Teresa Moss heads the National Cancer Action Team, which is a national health service body. I have drawn the hon. Member's question to her attention, and she will write to him direct.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints by patients relating to the refusal by a primary care trust to fund  (a) a cancer and  (b) a non-cancer treatment have been made (i) in the NHS, (ii) to the Healthcare Commission and (iii) to the Health Service Ombudsman in each year since 1997-98.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not collected at this level of detail by the Department of Health, the Healthcare Commission or the Health Service Ombudsman.

Clinical Physiologists: Career Structure

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of the current Modernising Scientific Careers proposals on the career pathways of clinical physiologists.

Ann Keen: holding answer 12 January 2009
	Proposals to transform the future training and career pathways of the health care science workforce as set out in The Future of the Healthcare Science Workforce Modernising Scientific Careers: The Next Steps, a copy of which has been placed in the Library are currently out for public consultation which is due to end on 6 March 2009. A response will be published in due course.

Clostridium

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of disinfectant wipes using quarternary ammonium-based formulas against Clostridium difficile.

Ann Keen: The Department has not made any specific assessments regarding the effectiveness of disinfectant wipes using quaternary ammonium-based formulas against Clostridium difficile. However these compounds are not recognised sporicides.
	There are potentially a number of products for sale to the national health service that do not contain chlorine and claim to be sporicidal. The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency has therefore commissioned the research into commercial formulations that claim to be sporicidal and it is expected to be completed by the end of autumn 2009.

Dementia: Respite Care

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many respite care beds there are for people with dementia in each primary care trust area in England;
	(2)  how many people with dementia were waiting for respite care in each  (a) primary care trust and  (b) local authority area on 1 April 2008; and how many of these had been waiting (i) up to three months, (ii) between three and six months, (iii) between six and nine months and (iv) between nine and 12 months.

Phil Hope: Services for people requiring respite care are not condition-specific, and so the information requested is not available.
	On 8 December 2008, we announced primary care trust (PCT) allocations for 2009-10 and 2010-11 which included 150 million so that all PCTs can increase the support they offer to all carers.

Dental Services

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps he has taken to increase access to NHS dentistry; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The importance of developing dental services is reiterated in The NHS in England: The operating framework for 2008-09 published on 9 December 2008, which places a priority on primary care trusts to develop dental services in order to provide access to anyone who seeks help in accessing services.
	This document has already been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_091445
	This is being supported by extra resourcesan 11 per cent. uplift in our dental funding allocations for the current year 2008-09, and a further 8.5 per cent. uplift for 2009-10 announced in the Operating Framework, which will take the total central allocation to 2,257 million (net of patient charge income).
	However, there are still areas of the country in which people are unable to access an national health service dentist and we know that we need to do more to ensure that NHS dentistry is available for all who wish to access it. This is why we have appointed an independent review team chaired by Professor Jimmy Steele to help us understand what steps we can take to ensure that every person who wants to access an NHS dentist can do so.

Dental Services: Public Consultation

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of NHS dental patients  (a) on the Isle of Wight and  (b) in each primary care trust area in Hampshire were on their local dentists' panel in each year since 1998.

Ann Keen: Information is not available in the format requested. However, the number of patients registered with a national health service dentist, in England, as at 31 March, 1997 to 2006 is available in Annex A of the NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report, England: 31 March 2006. Annex B contains information on the proportion of the population registered with an NHS dentist. Information is provided by primary care trust (PCT) and by strategic health authority (SHA) where appropriate.
	This information is based on the old contractual arrangements which were in place up to and including 31 March 2006. This report, published on 23 August 2006, has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dwfactivity
	Under the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006, patients do not have to be registered with an NHS dentist to receive NHS care. The closest equivalent measure to 'registration' is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ('patients seen') over a 24-month period. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	The number of patients seen in the previous 24 months in England, as at quarterly intervals, from 31 March 2006 to 30 June 2008 is available in Table D3 of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics, Q1 2008-09 report. Table D4 contains information on the numbers of patients seen as a percentage of the population. Information is provided by PCT and SHA.
	This report, published on 27 November 2008, has been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0809q1
	The importance of developing dental services to this Government are reiterated in the 2009-10 Operating Framework published on 9 December 2008, which places a priority on PCTs to develop dental services in order to provide access to anyone who seeks help in accessing services. This is being supported by extra resourcesan 11 per cent. uplift in our dental funding allocations for the current year 2008-09, and a further 8.5 per cent. uplift for 2009-10 announced in the Operating Framework, which will take the total central allocation to 2,257 million (net of patient charge income).

Euthanasia

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received since July 2008 from  (a) doctors,  (b) nurses and  (c) other health care professionals in (i) support of and (ii) opposition to (A) assisted suicide and (B) voluntary euthanasia; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The Department has received 41 letters and e-mails about assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia expressing a range of views and opinions. Correspondents do not necessarily include details of their profession.

Health Services: Freedom of Information

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) name and  (b) address of each regional public health observatory is; and whether these bodies are classified as public authorities for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Dawn Primarolo: Public health observatories (PHOs) are hosted by a variety of organisations including strategic health authorities (SHAs), primary care trusts (PCTs) and universities. As such, PHOs are obliged to comply with the freedom of information (FOI) arrangements within those organisations.
	The names and addresses of each of the nine public health observatory in England are given as follows:
	Yorkshire and Humber PHO
	Alcuin Research and Resource Centre
	University of York
	Heslington
	York YO10 5DD
	Tel: 01904 328228
	London PHO
	4th Floor
	Southside
	105 Victoria Street
	London SW1E 6QT
	Tel: 0207 932 3960
	East Midlands PHO
	Mill 3
	Pleasely Vale Business Park
	Outgang Lane
	Mansfield NG1 8RL
	Tel: 01623 812069
	Eastern Region PHO
	Institute of Public Health
	University Forvie Site
	Robinson Way
	Cambridge CB2 0SR
	Tel: 01223 330348
	North East PHO
	Wolfson Research Institute
	University of Durham
	Queens Campus
	University Boulevard
	Stockton on Tees TS17 6BH
	Tel: 0191 3340400
	North West PHO
	Centre for Public Health
	Liverpool John Moores University
	North Street
	Liverpool L3 2AY
	Tel: 0151 231 4506
	South East PHO
	4150 Chancellor Court
	Oxford Business Park South
	Oxford OX4 2GX
	Tel: 01654 334710
	South West PHO
	Grosvenor House
	149 Whiteladies Road
	Bristol BS8 2RA
	Tel: 0117 970 6474
	West Midlands PHO
	Birmingham Research Park
	Vincent Drive
	Birmingham B15 2SQ
	Tel: 0121 415 8552

Health Services: Human Trafficking

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the eligibility requirements are for victims of human trafficking to be granted access to safe accommodation funded by the Government.

Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	To qualify for safe accommodation under the Government-funded Poppy project individuals must be over 18 years old, trafficked into the United Kingdom and sexual exploited in England and Wales. Priority for accommodation is given to individuals that have experienced exploitation in the immediate three months prior to referral. This year we also piloted support provisions for victims of trafficking for forced labour and domestic servitude.
	We ratified the Council of Europe convention on action against trafficking in human beings on 17 December 2008. This will require us to have minimum levels of support for all identified victims of human trafficking by spring 2009. We are currently tendering for a national support model for victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation and domestic servitude, as they share similar high-level support needs. We are also working with the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre to develop support services for victims trafficked into forced labour.

Health Visitors

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health visitors  (a) were recruited,  (b) retired from work and  (c) finished work for a reason other than retirement in the last year for which information is available.

Ann Keen: Accurate figures for the number of health visitors who were recruited, retired from work and finished work for a reason other than retirement are not collected centrally.

Heart Disease

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the stage at which chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder is diagnosed in the UK; and what information it holds on the stage of diagnosis in other EU countries for benchmarking purposes.

Ann Keen: According to the Quality and Outcome Framework there are around 800,000 people who have been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the United Kingdom. An independent study, based on the data from the Health Survey for England 2001, identified that spirometrically defined COPD is present in 13 per cent. of the population over 35 years in the U.K, but 80 per cent. of cases are undiagnosed. Even in moderate to severe disease less than half had a prior diagnosis(1).
	Data are not available on the disease severity, or on stage of diagnosis in other European countries.
	(1) Shahab, L., M. J. Jarvis, et al. (2006). 'Prevalence, diagnosis and relation to tobacco dependence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a nationally representative population sample'. Thorax.Vol.59(11 )()(pp 960-965), 2004. 61(12): 1043-1047.

Independent Reconfiguration Panel

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions he has sought the advice of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel in relation to local  (a) maternity and  (b) accident and emergency services.

Ann Keen: Of the 14 full reviews that the Independent Reconfiguration Panel has conducted at the request of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, eight have included consideration of maternity services and included consideration of accident and emergency services.

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 203-4W, on influenza, whether plans for separate antiviral distribution channels to reach  (a) hard-to-reach groups and  (b) others for whom the Flu Line will not be suited have now been developed; how he defines (i) hard-to-reach groups and (ii) others for whom the Flu Line will not be suited; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Options are being developed in order to assist people through the process of using the Flu Line and also to support those people who are not able to able to use the standard process.
	Examples of groups of people we have considered are:
	those who may not have access to technology to use the Flu Line;
	people in enclosed institutions (for example prisons, care homes);
	those who may have complications which mean that they are not able to use the Flu Line; and
	those who are unable to provide a means of identification to use as a unique identifier for the flu line system.

Influenza: Vaccination

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the cost-benefit analysis of the vaccination of pregnant women against seasonal influenza referred to in the minutes of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's meeting of 14 February 2007;
	(2)  when the Health Protection Agency will complete its work examining the impact of influenza on pregnant women referred to in the minutes of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's meeting of 14 February 2007; whether he intends to place a copy of the work in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: At the 14 February 2007 meeting the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) was informed of a preliminary cost benefit analysis of the vaccination of pregnant women being undertaken by the Department. This analysis was not presented at the meeting because further data were required before a decision could be made. The preliminary analysis carried out by Departmental analysts has been placed in the Library.
	Following this preliminary analysis, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) was commissioned by the Department to collect further information on the impact of influenza on pregnant women. This work is ongoing and the JCVI's influenza subgroup is being kept up to date on its progress.

Lithium

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of potential links between the use of the mood-stabiliser lithium and increased mitochondrial damage; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has not made or commissioned such an assessment.

Lung Spirometry

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will include lung spirometry testing in the health MOT screening programme.

Ann Keen: The purpose of the vascular check programme, is to identify the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease, and for this risk to managed by appropriate follow up. The parameters and tests used in a vascular check include blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index (BMI) and are based on economic modelling undertaken by the Department to help ensure the most clinically effective and cost-effective format for the checks. However, we will keep the components of the vascular health check under review as new evidence emerges in future.

Maternity Matters Implementation Group

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the role of the Maternity Matters Implementation Group in his Department is;
	(2)  how his Department plans to meet the commitment to enable all women to have choice over where and how they have their baby by 2009.

Ann Keen: In April 2007, the Department published Maternity Matters: Choice, access and continuity of care in a safe service, which focuses on improving the quality of care and ensuring women have a range of choices which will make it easier for them to access maternity services. A Maternity Matters Implementation Group was established to support early joint work on implementation between the Department and the national health service. Since then, each strategic health authority has developed its vision for services for maternity and the new born as part of the NHS Next Stage Review, and work on implementation is now being taken forward on a wider front.
	Maternity services are once again included in the top clinical priorities highlighted in the NHS Operating Framework for 2009-10, backed by increased investment and a planned increase in the number of midwives.

Mental Health Services

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department plans to issue to primary care trusts on responsible commissioning of independent mental health advocates services; and when guidance will be issued.

Phil Hope: Comprehensive guidance for primary care trusts on commissioning independent mental health advocate (IMHA) services was published on 18 December 2008. The guide outlines the statutory IMHA role, and discusses good practice for IMHA services and recommended commissioning processes. A copy of the guidance has been placed in the Library. The guidance is also available on the National Institute for Mental Health in England's website at:
	http://mhact.csip.org.uk/.

Mental Health Services: Young People

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on the 17 capital funded projects designed to help eliminate the inappropriate use of adult psychiatric wards for children and young people.

Ann Keen: The Government provided 31 million capital funding in 2007-08 to 17 projects. These projects were designed to provide 59 new beds, 45 beds relocated to purpose built facilities, and 52 beds in refurbished facilities.
	A review of the progress made by the projects is currently under way.
	The latest available figures for July to September 2008 show only four bed days for under-16s on adult psychiatric wards.

National Institute for Health Research Faculty

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the funding sources of the National Institute for Health Research Faculty; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Members of the faculty of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) are national health service or university employed researchers whose salaries are funded, in part or in whole, by the NIHR or the Department's policy research programme. The funding may come from a range of NIHR sources including NIHR projects, programmes, units, centres and research networks.
	As well as attracting support form from the NIHR, members of the faculty may also be funded from other sources, including the research councils, charities, industry, and other Government Departments.
	The principal source of funding for the faculty's capacity and capability programmes is the NIHR budget.

NHS Early Years LifeCheck

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in the pilot of the NHS Early Years LifeCheck; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The NHS Early Years LifeCheck online service was piloted in selected Sure Start children's centres during spring 2008. After considering recommendations from the professional evaluation of the pilots, a revised version was launched in the 83 Community for Health spearhead and other deprived local authority areas in October 2008.

NHS: Drugs

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, column 926W, on NHS: drugs, if he will place in the Library copies of all submissions made to Professor Mike Richards' review reported on in Improving access to medicines for NHS patients.

Alan Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 24 November 2008,  Official Report, column 926W.

NHS: Drugs

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the number of adverse reactions from medicinal drugs in each of the last three years.

Dawn Primarolo: Reports of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Commission for Human Medicines through the spontaneous reporting scheme; the Yellow Card scheme. The Yellow Card scheme allows health professionals and patients to report suspected ADRs on a voluntary basis. In addition, there is a legal requirement for companies to report suspected ADRs to their drugs. The scheme collects suspected ADR reports from across the whole United Kingdom and includes all medicines, including prescription only medicines, pharmacy medicines and general sales. Reports are also received for herbal medicines and other unlicensed medicines.
	The following table shows the number of suspected ADRs received by the MHRA between 2005 and 2007.
	
		
			  Year received by MHRA  Total number of spontaneous UK suspected ADR reports received (including company ADR reports) 
			 2005 21,924 
			 2006 22,016 
			 2007 21,765

NHS: Drugs

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues to prescribers on special medicines.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has not issued guidance on this subject.

NHS: Manpower

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were employed in the NHS in April 2008.

Ann Keen: The national work force census shows that there were 1,331,109 people employed in the national health service as at 30 September 2007. The following table shows the breakdown of staff groups. The information is available on the NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk
	
		
			  NHS HCHS and General Practice work force as at 30 September each specified year, England, 2007 
			 Headcount 
			 Total   1,331,109 
			 Total employed staff (excluding GP retainers)   1,330,544 
			 
			  Professionally qualified clinical staff (excluding retainers)   681,246 
			 
			  All doctors  128,210 
			  All doctors (excluding retainers)(1)  127,645 
			   Consultants (including directors of public health) 33,674 
			   Registrars 30,759 
			   Other doctors in training 16,024 
			   Hospital practitioners and clinical assistants (non-dental specialties) (3) 2,848 
			   Other medical and dental staff 11,333 
			   GPs (excluding retainers)(2) 35,855 
			   GPs excluding retainers and registrars 33,364 
			   GP Providers 27,342 
			   Other GPs 6,022 
			   GP registrars 2,491 
			   GP retainers 565 
			 
			  Total qualified nursing staff(3)  399,597 
			   Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 376,737 
			   GP practice nurses(2, 4) 22,860 
			  Total qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff(5)  136,976 
			   Qualified Allied Health Professions 68,687 
			   Other qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff 68,289 
			  Qualified ambulance staff  17,028 
			 
			  Support to clinical staff   346,596 
			  Support to doctors and nursing staff  281,894 
			  Support to scientific, therapeutic and technical staff  53,259 
			  Support to ambulance staff  11,443 
			 
			  NHS infrastructure support   207,778 
			  Central functions  100,177 
			  Hotel, property and estates  71,102 
			  Manager and senior manager  36,499 
			 
			  Other non-medical staff or those with unknown classification   409 
			 
			 Other GP practice staff(2)   94,515 
			 (1) All doctors excluding GP retainers. (2) GP data as at 1 C. (3) Nursing and midwifery figures exclude students on training courses leading to a first qualification as a nurse or midwife. (4) Headcount practice nurse figures are estimated for 1998 and 1999 based on the 1997 FTE to headcount ratio. (5) To make the census data comparable with the Review Body for Nursing Staff and Other Health Professionals definitions, qualified Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) now include Speech and Language Therapists (previously these were included in Other Qualified ST and T staff). For comparability, historical data has been reassigned to match the revised definition. The number of AHPs will not match those published in previous years. In 2006, ambulance staff were collected under new, more detailed, occupation codes. As a result, qualified totals and support to ambulance staff totals are not directly comparable with previous years. Enhanced validation processes have led to the removal of duplicate records from the non-medical census (from 2006 onwards).  Note: Although percentages were small (less than 1 per cent.), comparisons with years prior to this need to be treated with caution. This only effects headcount.  Source: The Information Centre.

NHS: Standards

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what standards of accreditation are required by NHS trusts of laboratories testing products for use in NHS hospitals; what powers his Department has to enforce those standards; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) licences facilities that manufacture, assemble and/or import medicinal products for human use. The holder of a manufacturer's licence may use a contract laboratory approved by MHRA for the testing of their medicinal products.
	A quality control laboratory, which is performing analysis of medicinal products for a licensed manufacturer and which is named by the holder on their licence, is required to comply with European Union guidelines for Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and is inspected by MHRA against these requirements on a routine basis.
	The requirement for a manufacturer's licence and compliance with GMP is enforced by MHRA, acting on behalf of the licensing authority, through the Medicines Act 1968 and its supporting regulations.
	A licence is not required for preparation of medicinal products where this is carried out solely for retail sale or supply, by or under the supervision of a pharmacist in a registered pharmacy or hospital. However, registered pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are bound by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's Code of Ethics for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and the supporting professional standards.

Patients: Safety

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were harmed as a result of an error or missed diagnosis in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) Tees Valley district and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in the last 12 months.

Ann Keen: For the period from July 2007 to June 2008, the National Patient Safety Agency received 2,300 reports where patients were harmed due to patient safety incidents classified as diagnostic delay, failure or error. Ninety-nine of these incidents were reported from the North East Strategic Health Authority. Reporting and learning data are collected on the basis of service providers. It is therefore not possible to provide a breakdown of data to constituency level.

People Matters Executive Group

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions the People Matters Executive Group has met.

Ann Keen: The People Matters Executive Group has met 13 times since it was created in November 2007.

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how sufficient stocks of medicines to meet patient demand will be ensured when the new pharmaceutical price regulation scheme is implemented;
	(2)  whether his Department has agreed with medicines manufacturers stock compensation arrangements for pharmaceutical wholesalers when the new pharmaceutical price regulation scheme is implemented;
	(3)  whether his Department has conducted an assessment of the effects of the new pharmaceutical price regulation scheme on the availability of medicines.

Dawn Primarolo: Implementation of the price cut has been delayed until February 2009 to allow further time for arrangements to be made and to avoid coinciding with the Christmas period. Stock compensation is a matter for pharmaceutical companies and wholesalers to agree. The Department is in regular contact with pharmaceutical companies and wholesalers and does not expect that the implementation of the 2009 pharmaceutical price regulation scheme will lead to shortages of medicines.
	However, medicine supply problems can and do occur for a number of reasons and often it is not possible to predict them. The Department of Health and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry have published joint best practice guidelines in order to help manage shortages as and when they arise. These guidelines give guidance to companies on what to do in the event of a shortage and recommend that companies communicate with the Department as soon as possible about impending shortages that are likely to have an impact on patient care.

Quality and Outcomes Framework

Doug Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the difference between the lowest and highest rate of exception reporting for quality outcomes framework indicator CHD 08 was in each year since the introduction of the framework.

Ann Keen: The lowest and highest rates of exception reporting for the Quality and Outcomes Framework indicator Coronary Heart Disease 08, for each year of the framework(1) is as follows:
	2007-08: 0 per cent. and 100 per cent.
	2006-07: 0 per cent. and 100 per cent.
	2005-06: 0 per cent. and 75 per cent.
	(1) Data unavailable for 2004-05
	 Source
	Information Centre for Health and Social Care

Regional Innovation Hubs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding is given from the public purse to regional innovation hubs in the last year for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: The innovation hubs have historically received funding from four different sources.
	Funding for this financial year (2008-09) is as follows:
	 The Departmentcirca 4.7 million
	The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement (NHSI) channels Department-derived funds to the innovation hubs, under the terms of an annual service level agreement between the hubs and the National Innovation Centre (as the agent of the NHSI). The amount allocated to each individual hub is on a capitation basis.
	 Department for Trade and Industry (now Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills) Public Sector Research Establishment (PSRE)2.7 million
	On behalf of their trust membership, each hub has the opportunity to competitively bid for funding for specific pump-priming activities in the region. Examples of pump-priming are to build local networks or conduct informative workshops to assist regional innovators, basically to initiate some activity, which would otherwise not occur. PSRE funding is also contingent on the hubs demonstrating that they have a source of matched funding.
	 Local regional development agencies (RDAs)1.9 million
	The RDAs have tapped into the specialist NHS knowledge base of the hubs to effectively use them in what may be described as the Business Link function for Healthcare and assist the RDAs in achieving their own targets and objectives.
	 Other incomecirca 2 million
	The hubs also received income from other sources, which are generated by their own local activities. Examples of such sources include membership fees, specific consultancy assignments and income revenue from licensing agreements.

Smoking

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to provide  (a) extra support for and  (b) incentives to those attempting to give up smoking since the entry into force of the smoking ban.

Dawn Primarolo: A wide of range of support is available from the national health service for smokers who wish to give up smoking. Options are available on the NHS 'Go Smokefree' website at:
	www.nhs.uk/gosmokefree
	or from the NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 169 0169.
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for the provision of NHS local stop smoking services. Within communities, PCTs make free support available in a range of innovative ways to support smokers who wish to quit.
	Smokers who use NHS support to quit are up to four times more likely to do so successfully than those trying to go it alone cold turkey.
	The Department also has a marketing strategy aimed at encouraging smokers to quit, particularly with the support of the NHS.

Sunbeds

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what research he has commissioned on the regulation of the sunbed industry in other countries for benchmarking purposes in the last two years;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on  (a) the use of sunbeds in the health and fitness facilities operated by local authorities and  (b) the risks associated with such use;
	(3)  what representations he has received on  (a) the health risks associated with sunbeds and  (b) the regulation of the sunbed industry in the last 12 months;
	(4)  what recent meetings his Department has had with representatives of the sunbed industry on options for sunbed regulation;
	(5)  what options are being considered for regulation of  (a) the sunbed industry and  (b) sunbed usage by persons under 18 years of age;
	(6)  what progress has been made since the Cancer Reform Strategy was published in December 2007 on  (a) reviewing options for regulation of the sunbed industry,  (b) gathering information on the number and distribution of sunbeds and  (c) gathering information on the scale of sunbed use by minors.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department regularly receives Parliamentary questions and correspondence from hon. Members and other interested parties regarding the health risks of sunbeds including, in some cases, requests for the regulation of the sunbed industry. Such requests are considered in the context of the ongoing review of options for possible regulation of the sunbed industry, including access to sunbeds by young people. The review has been broad-ranging in its scope and, as part of it, officials from the Department and other Government departments, including Communities and Local Government, have discussed issues concerning the use of sunbeds in different types of facilities and settings.
	Since the publication of the Cancer Reform Strategy, the Department has also worked with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and other stakeholders (including some representatives of the sunbed industry) on the HSE's review of its guidance for users and operators of sunbeds. HSE expect to publish the guidance and a summary of the consultation responses early in 2009.
	In conducting its review of options, the Department has drawn on a range of evidence from this country and abroad. For example, in 2007, the Welsh Assembly Government, supported by the Scottish Executive, National Health Service NI and the English Department of Health have requested that the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment update their advice regarding the safety of ultra violet sunbeds in the United Kingdom. A report is expected in 2009.
	The Department has also taken steps to gather further information on the number and distribution of sunbeds, and on the extent of sunbed use by young people, as mentioned in the Cancer Reform Strategy.
	All of these will inform considerations on options for the possible regulation of the sunbed industry.

Tobacco: Public Consultation

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the responses to his Department's consultation on the future of tobacco control were from  (a) retailers or shop owners and  (b) organisations funded wholly or in part by his Department.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department received 10,586 responses from small retailers (including pre-prepared postcards or emails made available to respondents by third parties), 11 responses from larger retailers and 21 responses from retail industry representative organisations, including trade associations.
	The Department received seven responses from organisations that receive funding directly from the Department for programmes of work related to smoking. Identification of respondents that receive funding from the Department for other purposes could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The Department received 85,565 responses from members of the public (including pre-prepared postcards or emails made available to respondents by third parties).

Tobacco: Regulation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the address of each regional tobacco control manager is; and whether they are classified as public authorities for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Dawn Primarolo: The addresses of Regional Tobacco Policy Managers (RTPMs) are as follows and are published on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Healthimprovement/Tobacco/DH_089018
	 North East
	Smoke Free, North East Office
	Civic Centre,
	Chester-le-Street District Council
	Newcastle Road
	Chester-le-Street
	County Durham, DH3 3UT
	 North West
	North West Public Health Team
	Government Office North West
	18th Floor, City Tower
	Piccadilly Plaza
	Manchester, Ml 4BE
	 Yorkshire  and Humber
	Government Office For Yorkshire and Humber
	6th Floor West Wing,
	PO Box 213
	City House,
	New Station Street
	Leeds
	 East Midlands
	Government Office East Midlands
	The Belgrave Centre
	Stanley Place
	Talbot Street
	Nottingham, NG1 5GG
	 West Midlands
	5 St. Philips Place
	Colmore Row
	Birmingham B3 2PW
	 East of England
	East of England Public Health Group
	Government Office for the East of England
	Eastbrook
	Shaftesbury Road
	Cambridge, CB2 2DF
	 London
	Regional Public Health Group: London
	5th Floor Riverwalk House
	157-161 Millbank
	London SW1P 4RR
	 South East
	Government Office for the South East
	Bridge House
	1 Walnut Tree Close
	Guildford, GUI 4GA
	 South West
	Regional Public Health Group
	Government Office for the South West
	2 Rivergate
	Temple Quay
	Bristol, BS1 6ED
	As RTPMs are based in Government offices for the regions, the national health service or local authorities, they are subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (c.36).

Tuberculosis: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many instances of tuberculosis have been recorded in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire in each quarter of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the following table gives the number of Tuberculosis cases in the area of Dacorum borough council as the closest measure for Hemel Hempstead, and for Hertfordshire, for the calendar years 2000-06.
	
		
			  Cases of Tuberculosis 
			  Area  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Hertfordshire 55 60 60 53 69 111 96 
			 Dacorum 5 0 6 5 5 7 7 
			  Notes: 1. Hertforshire comprises: Broxbourne, Dacorum, East Hertfordshire, Hertsmere, North Hertfordshire, St Albans, Stevenage, Three Rivers, Watford, and Welwyn Hatfield Local Authorities 2. Data by local authority are not yet available for 2007 3. Data are not provided by quarters because of the risk of deductive disclosure due to low numbers. 4. In years when there have been less than five cases, the exact number of cases is not given because of the risk of deductive disclosure.  Source:  Health Protection Agency - Enhanced Tuberculosis Surveillance (ETS) system

User-led Organisations

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many user-led organisations have become user-led action and learning sites;
	(2)  how much has been allocated to the User-led Organisations Development Fund for 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: 750,000 of the User-led Organisations Development Fund was made available in 2007-08 to support 12 user-led action and learning sites from March 2008. Over 100 user-led organisations applied.
	A further 900,000 for the User-led Organisations Development Fund has been made available in 2008-09 to support the development of up to 14 additional action and learning sites from January 2009. Over 70 organisations applied. We will announce shortly how that funding is to be allocated.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Advisory Board on Naturalisation and Integration

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff the Advisory Board on Naturalisation and Integration employs; what its running costs are expected to be in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The Advisory Board on Naturalisation and Integration does not employ any staff. Until it ceased to operate on 20 November 2008, two UK Border Agency staff provided Secretariat support to the Board.
	It is not possible to separately identify its running costs for 2008-09 in the UK Border Agency accounts. As it has now ceased to operate, its running costs in 2009-10 and 2010-11 will be nil.

Alcohol Disorder Zones

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many local authorities have contacted her Department with enquiries concerning the establishment of alcohol disorder zones.

Alan Campbell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on the 18 December 2008,  Official Report, column 1067W.

Alcoholic Drinks: Antisocial Behaviour

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been convicted of the offence of consuming alcohol in a designated place in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 12 January 2009
	 I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 16 December 2008,  Official Report, columns 713-14W.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place in the Library a copy of the provisional findings of the evaluation of alcohol arrest referral pilots.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office will not be releasing interim findings as the intention is to publish a final research report after the evaluation has been completed. The evaluation runs until July 2009.

Alcoholic Drinks: Thames Valley

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) cautions and  (b) arrests for alcohol-related offences there were in the Thames Valley police force area in each of the last 20 quarters for which records are available, broken down by basic command unit.

Alan Campbell: The number of offenders issued with a caution for alcohol related offences in the Thames Valley police force area, from 2003 to 2007 (latest available), by quarter, are given in the table.
	In addition under the penalty notice for disorder scheme implemented across all 43 forces in England and Wales in 2004, fixed penalties of 50 or 80 can be issued by the police for a specified range of alcohol-related offences. The numbers issued in Thames Valley from 2004 to 2007 by quarter are also given in the table.
	Information on court proceedings are centrally collected only for each police force area, therefore data by basic command unit cannot be supplied.
	The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally.
	The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and robbery.
	The alcohol related offences presented in the table are not notifiable offences and do not form part of the arrests collection.
	
		
			  Number of offenders cautioned( 1)  for alcohol related offences( 2)  and issued with penalty notices for disorder (PNDs)( 3 ) in the Thames Valley police force area, broken down by quarter, 2003 to 2007( 4, 5) 
			   Cautions  PNDs( 6) 
			  2003   
			 Quarter 1 90 n/a 
			 Quarter 2 112 n/a 
			 Quarter 3 95 n/a 
			 Quarter 4 93 n/a 
			
			  2004   
			 Quarter 1 127 n/a 
			 Quarter 2 125 34 
			 Quarter 3 92 190 
			 Quarter 4 52 183 
			
			  2005   
			 Quarter 1 27 92 
			 Quarter 2 22 81 
			 Quarter 3 19 99 
			 Quarter 4 18 102 
			
			  2006   
			 Quarter 1 27 79 
			 Quarter 2 23 116 
			 Quarter 3 16 87 
			 Quarter 4 11 136 
			
			  2007   
			 Quarter 1 15 108 
			 Quarter 2 22 153 
			 Quarter 3 30 140 
			 Quarter 4 25 132 
			 (1 )From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and final warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (2 )Includes offences of;  (a) Drunkenness simple.  (b) Drunkenness with aggravation. (c) Offences by licensed person. (d) Other offences against intoxicating liquor laws.  (e) Driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs. (3 )Includes all alcohol related penalty notices for disorder;  Drunk and disorderly  Selling alcohol to person under 18  Selling alcohol to a person who is drunk  Supplying alcohol to a person under 18  Purchasing alcohol for person under 18 in licensed premises  Purchasing alcohol for person under 18 for consumption in a bar in licensed premises  Delivering alcohol to person under 18 or allowing such delivery  Being drunk in a highway, other public place or licensed premises  Consuming alcohol in designated public place  Consuming alcohol by person under 18 in licensed premises  Allowing consumption of alcohol by person under 18 in licensed premises  Purchase of alcohol by a person under 18, (4 )The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (5 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (6 )PNDs became available, from April 2004, under the provisions of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001  Source:  Evidence and Analysis unitOffice for Criminal Justice Reform

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been convicted of an offence under section 147A(1)(a) of the Licensing Act 2003 in each year since the offence was created.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 12 January 2009
	 I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 December 2008,  Official Report, column 505W.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the use of  (a) anti-social behaviour orders,  (b) acceptable behaviour contracts and  (c) individual support orders since the publication of the National Audit Office's report on anti-social behaviour, HC (2006-07) 99, in December 2006.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office has commissioned research to examine regional variations in the use of antisocial behaviour interventions. This is the first step to developing further work into the comparative effectiveness of different approaches to tackling antisocial behaviour. The first stage of the research into regional variations was completed in summer 2008. We anticipate that the second stage will be completed by late 2009.

Antisocial Behaviour

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget for her Department's Antisocial Behaviour Action Line is; how many people work on running the action line; and how many calls it received in the last 12 months.

Alan Campbell: For the financial year 2008-09, the budget for the Home Office's Antisocial Behaviour Actionline is 400,000. There are five people directly employed to run the service and during the period November 2007 to November 2008, the Actionline received 3,987 calls, 1,467 emails and the website received 335,450 visitors.

Antisocial Behaviour

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visits the Effective Practice database on the crime reduction website received in each of the last 12 months.

Alan Campbell: The Effective Practice Database was designed in response to community safety practitioner demand for a single place to collate evaluated crime reduction initiatives at a national level. The purpose of the database is to house case studies of local initiatives which have been evaluated to show a successful impact on crime or related issues of community safety in an easily searchable format. The link to the database is:
	www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/effectivepracticedatabase/.
	The database went live on the Crime Reduction website on 23 January 2008 and the stats package used to compile these data (Sitestat) did not go live until 11 February 2008. There is, therefore, a two week gap in the data between Effective Practice Database go live date and Sitestat data availability and as such a breakdown of monthly figures is only available from February to November 2008.
	The data show the number of visits made to the database, i.e. the number of individuals who accessed the Effective Practice Database home page each month; it is not a count of page views.
	
		
			  Month  Number of visits 
			  2008  
			 February 113 
			 March 1191 
			 April 930 
			 May 615 
			 June 575 
			 July 540 
			 August 418 
			 September 541 
			 October 637 
			 November 623

Assets Recovery Agency

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the value of the assets involved in those cases adopted by the Assets Recovery Agency in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06,  (d) 2006-07 and  (e) 2007-08;
	(2)  how many cases were referred to the Assets Recovery Agency by other law enforcement agencies for criminal confiscation in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) the UK in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05, (iii) 2005-06, (iv) 2006-07 and (v) 2007-08; and how many such cases were referred for civil recovery and taxation investigation in (A) Northern Ireland and (B) the UK in each such year;
	(3)  how many cases the Assets Recovery Agency adopted for criminal confiscation action in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) the UK in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05, (iii) 2005-06, (iv) 2006-07 and (v) 2007-08.
	(4)  how many cases the Assets Recovery Agency concluded in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) the UK in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05, (iii) 2005-06, (iv) 2006-07 and (v) 2007-08;
	(5)  what the estimated value of the assets involved in cases concluded by the Assets Recovery Agency was in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) the UK in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05, (iii) 2005-06, (iv) 2006-07 and (v) 2007-08;
	(6)  what estimate she has made of the value of the assets involved in cases adopted by the Assets Recovery Agency for civil or tax investigation in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) the UK in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05, (iii) 2005-06, (iv) 2006-07 and (v) 2007-08;
	(7)  how many cases were adopted by the Assets Recovery Agency for civil or tax investigation in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) the UK in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05, (iii) 2005-06, (iv) 2006-07 and (v) 2007-08.

Alan Campbell: Information on  (a) cases referred to and adopted by the Assets Recovery Agency and the value of assets involved; and on  (b) cases concluded and the value of assets involved was included in the Annual Reports of the Agency, which were laid before Parliament, and in the relevant Annual Resource Accounts.
	Some Northern Ireland-specific data can be found in the Northern Ireland Organised Crime Task Force's (OCTF) Annual Report and Threat Assessment for the requisite year, which are available from the OCTF website: www.octf.gov.uk or from the Northern Ireland Office website: www.nio.gov.uk

Assets Recovery Agency

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases were under investigation by the Assets Recovery Agency at 31 March 2008 with a view to criminal confiscation where no action had been taken to restrain assets; what the estimated value of the assets under investigation in those cases was; how many of those investigations were subsequently terminated by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency without court action; what the reasons for termination was in each case; what the estimated value of the assets in the cases terminated was; and what steps have been taken to ensure that the relevant assets do not remain in the hands of criminals in those cases terminated without court action in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) the UK.

Alan Campbell: Data relating to the transfer of cases from the Assets Recovery Agency to the Serous Organised Crime Agency were not collated to this level of detail, as there would be no operational value and some cost in doing so. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost (through manual collation from case files).

Assets Recovery Agency

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) financial investigators and  (b) lawyers were employed in the Assets Recovery Agency in (i) the UK and (ii) Northern Ireland on 31 March 2008.

Alan Campbell: The Assets Recovery Agency employed 53 financial investigators on 31 March 2008, of which 16 were in Northern Ireland. On the same date it employed 27 lawyers of which seven were in Northern Ireland.

Assets Recovery Agency: Northern Ireland

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by the Assets Recovery Agency in pursuing its work in Northern Ireland in 2007-08.

Alan Campbell: This information is not available.

Asylum

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the additional costs to local authorities of decisions made under the Case Resolution programme for asylum legacy cases which have resulted in the granting of leave to remain.

Phil Woolas: I am in a position to report that following Ms Lin Homer's appearance before the Home Affairs Select Committee on 20 November 2008, she wrote to the committee on 8 December 2008 with an update on the legacy programme. This contains the latest position on agreed payments to local authorities.

Asylum

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of asylum-seekers  (a) in total and  (b) who will enter and remain in the UK in each year to 2018.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) People leave their countries of origin and claim asylum elsewhere in response to world events. Where those events will be and the countries to which people flee, are inherently unpredictable. Estimates of the total number of asylum seekers are thus not available.
	 (b) The proportion of those who do claim in the UK who are subsequently granted leave to remain here also depends on the current world situation at the time of claim. All asylum claims are considered without prejudice on their individual merits in accordance with the UK's obligations under the 1951 UN Convention and the 1967 Protocol. The estimates of the number of asylum seekers who enter and remain in the UK in each year to 2018 is subject to the same level of unpredictability and are thus also unavailable.

Asylum: Deportation

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what security checks are carried out on  (a) external companies contracted and  (b) personnel employed to escort refugees being deported.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 18 December 2008
	The contract for the escorting of individuals being removed or deported from the UK is operated by Group 4 Securicor (G4S), this company would have been subject to commercial and credit checks when tendering for the contract.
	The contractors employ Detainee Custody Officers (DCOs) to carry out the duties of escorting those people being removed from the UK, all individuals seeking employment as a DCOs are required to undergo counter-terrorist checks and criminal record checks to enhanced level, and before they can commence employment they have to be accredited by the UK Border Agency Detention Services Accreditation Team.
	Applicants must pass all the security checks before they can be accredited.

British Nationality: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many residents of  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency,  (b) the London Borough of Bexley and  (c) London gained full citizenship in each year since 1997.

Phil Woolas: Specific data on the number of residents of Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency who have acquired British citizenship since 1997 are not available.
	The relevant available data refers to the number of people attending British citizenship ceremonies. Those attending such ceremonies may not necessarily be resident within the area of the authority conducting the ceremony. Such data are only captured for citizenship ceremonies attended since 2005 as the requirement to attend such a ceremony was not introduced in law until 2004. It is not possible to separately identify parliamentary constituencies within data because information regarding location is based on the reporting authority.
	Ceremonies are organised by county or local authorities for successful applicants over 18 years of age. The data therefore exclude some grants to applicants under 18.
	Data relating to the number of British citizenship ceremonies attended in Greater London and the London borough of Bexley between 2005 and 2007 are shown in the table.
	National Statistics on persons granted British citizenship are published annually in Home Office Statistical Bulletins. The latest publication may be obtained from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb0508.pdf
	Data regarding British citizenship decisions and ceremonies attended in 2008 are scheduled for publication in May 2009.
	
		
			  Persons attending a British citizenship ceremony by selected region and authority 2005-07( 1) 
			  Number of persons 
			   2005  2006( (R))  2007( (P)) 
			 Greater London region 63,045 56,995 61,690 
			  O f which:
			 Bexley 605 550 605 
			 (1) A ceremony organised by county or local authorities for successful applicants over 18 years of age for British citizenship.

Cannabis

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues and officials in the Ministry of Justice on implementing the proposed three strikes enforcement regime for cannabis possession pursuant to its re-classification as a Class B drug; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: Home Office Ministers and officials have had discussions with their counterparts in the Ministry of Justice throughout the development of the policing response, proposed by the Association of Chief Police Officers, to the possession of cannabis as a Class B drug. Discussions have included the extension of the Penalty Notice for Disorder Scheme to cannabis possession as part of the enforcement regime in respect of which the Ministry of Justice has lead responsibility.

Cannabis

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will issue new guidance to police on the issuing of warnings, cautions and charging for possession of cannabis following its re-classification as a Class B drug.

Alan Campbell: To accompany the reclassification of cannabis to a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 the Association of Chief Police Officers will issue revised guidance for a consistent national approach to the policing of the possession of cannabis in England and Wales.

Community Relations

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether she has plans to review her Department's policy on protective marking and vetting of documents in response to paragraph 77 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps her Department plans to take on the dissemination of information and academic research on the causes of violent extremism following the Audit Commission's report on Preventing Violent Extremism of November 2008; and what steps she plans to take to provide such information to local partnerships;
	(3)  what plans her Department has to develop National Indicator 35 into a measure of the achievement of outcomes as recommended by the Audit Commission in its November 2008 report, Preventing Violent Extremism;
	(4)  what steps her Department plans to take to provide more information identifying factors that make some people vulnerable to becoming involved in violent extremism, as noted on page 23 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise; and if she will make a statement;
	(5)  whether she has plans to develop a suite of information sources to be used at local level in relation to counter-terrorism, in response to paragraph 60 of the Audit Commission's November 2008 report Preventing Violent Extremism: Learning and Development Exercise.

Sadiq Khan: I have been asked to reply.
	A number of reviews took place over the summer which sought to draw out learning and emerging practice on the delivery of activity to prevent violent extremism, including the joint Audit Commission and HMIC Learning and Development Exercise (LDE). Though each review had a different focus, together they provide a useful package of learning material upon which local partners can draw and which will inform the Government's approach to Prevent.
	There are a number of common themes which run through all these reviews. Some of these require action from national Government, some from local partners and many from both. We have ensured wide distribution of the LDE report to enable local partners to benefit directly from the important learning it contains in taking forward their local Prevent response. We published Delivering PreventResponding to Learning on 10 December, which sets out the key strands of learning from the reviews and work already underway to address these key themes. We will continue to develop our response to the reviews throughout the year.
	I will place a copy of Delivering PreventResponding to Learning in the Library of the House.

Computers: Crime

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 16 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1430W, on computers: crime, when she plans to launch the consultation on plans to extend the application of serious crime prevention orders to offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

Alan Campbell: The intention was to launch the consultation in November 2008 but advice is currently being sought as to the necessity of this consultation, as there is a view that the Act already allows offences under the Computer Misuse Act to be covered. I will write to the hon. Member in January to update you on the outcome of these findings.

Crime: Business

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate her Department has made of the cost of crime to business.

Alan Campbell: There are currently no year-on-year on estimates of the costs of crime to business.
	The Home Office first published estimates of the economic and social costs of crime in 2000. The research estimated the cost of:
	crime against individuals and households
	commercial and public sector victimisation
	fraud and forgery
	traffic and motoring/other non-notifiable offences
	and can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs/hors217.pdf
	There is a further Home Office publication in 2002-03 focusing on Crime against Retail and Manufacturing Premises and can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/rdsolr3705.pdf

Crime: Business

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what plans her Department has for future staffing levels in the Business Crime Team;
	(2)  how many people within her Department work exclusively on tackling business crime.

Alan Campbell: Many different parts of the Home Office work to tackle crimes that affect business, such as fraud, e-crime, retail theft, criminal damage and alcohol-related crime. Some of these issues affect both businesses and general members of the public and so officials in these teams cannot be said to be working exclusively on business crime, although they will be contributing directly to its reduction. A business crime team did work exclusively on some very specific aspects of business crime, mainly shop theft. This work is now to be included in a new volume crime team in the Department. The scope of this new team will be broader than that of the business crime team, and include crimes such as burglary and vehicle crime which also affect businesses. This will enable a fuller and more efficient response to volume crimes committed against business to be developed. The volume crime team will also support a more responsive approach, being able to focus more flexibly on critical volume crime issues, including those affecting business, as and when necessary.

Crime: Closed Circuit Television

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in the implementation of the National Closed Circuit Television Strategy; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: Following publication of the National CCTV Strategy in October 2007, good progress has been made in moving towards implementing the 44 recommendations.
	The National Policing Improvement Agency took over responsibility for the Strategy in the Spring of 2008. A National CCTV Strategy Programme Board has been established and has delivered three of these recommendations. These include:
	1. Seeking to influence national and international CCTV standards
	2. Clarifying the requirements in relation to operator licensing by the Security Industry Association (SIA)
	3. Developing protocols allowing the use of Airwave radio in town centre CCTV control rooms and the sharing of intelligence between the police and town centre CCTV monitoring staff.
	There is an intention to progress a further 24 recommendations during the next 12 months with the remaining 17 being progressed through 2010 and 2011. This will continue to develop and improve the effectiveness of the CCTV currently in use in England and Wales. On 19 November 2008 at the House of Lords Constitutional Committee hearing we confirmed the Government's commitment to implementing recommendation 1, that there should be a national body to oversee CCTV. The Programme Board is now preparing proposals including a timetable, for the establishment of this body.
	The continued development of CCTV as both a deterrent for criminal activity and protection for the public will add to the confidence and safety of our communities. A recent report by the Campbell Crime and Justice Group
	http://db.c2admin.org/doc-pdf/Welsh_CCTV_review.pdf
	which includes United Kingdom (UK) membership and whose review was part funded by the Home Office, included the observation that CCTV is more effective in reducing crime in the UK than in other countries. The Government support the use of closed circuit television in tackling and reducing crime. CCTV is most effective when used along side other measures.

Crimes of Violence: North West

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded incidents of violent crime there were in  (a) Stockport Metropolitan Borough,  (b) Greater Manchester and  (c) the North West in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: A number of changes have been made to recorded crime in response to suggestions in the two reviews of crime statistics. One such change is that the term 'violent crime' is no longer used in connection with the recorded crime statistics and we now provide figures for violence against the person.
	The available information relates to offences recorded by the police and is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Offences of violence against the person recorded by the police, 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			  Number of offences 
			  Area  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Stockport 4,313 4,427 4,409 4,571 3,727 
			 Greater Manchester 53,972 53,208 52,948 57,051 50,287 
			 North West Region 128,041 143,773 144,309 135,292 119,188

Departmental Contracts

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with how many faith-based organisations her Department has contracts to provide public services.

Phil Woolas: In making contracts for the provision of public services, my Department only selects organisations that meet the proper criteria and have the most relevant expertise and experience to offer. The extent to which such organisations are faith-based is not evident in every case. An accurate total or comprehensive list could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Equality

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the  (a) sex,  (b) ethnicity,  (c) age,  (d) disability,  (e) sexual orientation and  (f) religion or belief of its staff; and what assessment she has made of her Department's performance against its targets relating to diversity in its workforce.

Phil Woolas: The department publishes annually its employment monitoring report for its workforce covering all the areas in the parliamentary question. Copies of the report can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/equalityanddiversity1/staffequalitytargets/?view=Standard

Departmental Pay

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy to ensure that those temporary and permanent employees at the same grade in her Department who are paid at an hourly rate are paid at the same rate.

Phil Woolas: All staff employed directly by my Department, whether permanent or temporary, are on similar terms and conditions including those which determine their pay.

Deportation

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) immigrants and  (b) asylum seekers who have been returned to their country of origin in each of the last five years (i) have had severe health problems, (ii) have had mental illnesses and (iii) were pregnant.

Phil Woolas: The information requested could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.

Deportation: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals who had no legal basis to remain in the UK and who were normally resident in the Peterborough City Council area have been deported since May 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 12 January 2009
	 The information requested could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.

Detention Centres

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of detainees held at Oakington immigration removal centre are eligible for legal aid-funded advice.

Shahid Malik: I have been asked to reply.
	Detainees at Oakington are eligible for legal aid on the same basis as other individuals. Provided their case is within the scope of the legal aid scheme, and they pass the statutory test of means and merits, legal aid will be available. It is not possible to say what percentage of the detainees at Oakington will meet these criteria.
	The Legal Services Commission contracts with a single not-for-profit agency to provide on-site legal services at Oakington. Between April and November 2008 (inclusive)1,448 asylum and 508 non-asylum matters were started for eligible detainees.
	In addition on-site legal advice surgeries provide up to 30 minutes advice without reference to means or merits to any individual who does not have a legal adviser

Domestic Violence

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the level of domestic violence in  (a) England,  (b) Merseyside and  (c) Halton.

Alan Campbell: The most recent assessment of the level of domestic violence is from the British Crime Survey (BCS) 2007-08 published in the annual 'Crime in England and Wales' statistical bulletin, copies of which are in the House of Commons Library.
	The latest figure from the 2007-08 BCS for the number of domestic violence incidents per 10,000 adults in England is 78.
	Figures from the BCS for the number of incidents of domestic violence per 10,000 adults in Merseyside or Halton are not reported due to the variability of these figures at police force area level or below.

Domestic Violence: North East

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps the Government have taken to prevent domestic violence, with particular reference to the North East.

Alan Campbell: The Government are committed to tackling and preventing domestic violence. We have a cross-Government National Domestic Violence Delivery plan which provides a strategic framework to address domestic violence to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice whilst providing the best possible help for victims and their children. The plan ensures agencies work together to identify, track and risk assess domestic violence cases and better share information so that more offenders are brought to justice, victims are protected and better supported; and further violence is prevented.
	Initiatives in the North East of England include the expansion of the Specialist Domestic Violence Court programme (SDVC); the roll-out of multi-agency risk assessment conferences (Northumberland and Durham have one MARAC to cover the county area); and supporting the establishment of Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (currently working in all SDVC areas and also Newcastle, South Tyneside and Northumberland). The Government have also supported regional awareness raising events such as the launch of the Choice helpline and the Honour Network helpline for survivors of honour based violence and forced marriage.

Driving Offences: Insurance

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cars were seized for being uninsured in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 12 January 2009
	The police seizure power is in respect of a vehicle being driven by someone who is not insured to drive it, rather than the insurance status of the vehicle itself. 153,822 vehicles were seized under this power in 2007. So far in 2008 returns by police forces indicate that 138,373 vehicles have been seized. This number is likely to rise considerably because not all returns have yet been made and there will be further seizures in the rest of December.

Drug Seizures

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much  (a) heroin and  (b) crack cocaine has been seized in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Campbell: The latest available data on drug seizures are for 2006-07 and can be found in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin series Seizures of Drugs in England and Wales 2006/07. The quantity of heroin and crack cocaine seized in each of the last 10 years, in England and Wales, is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Number and quantity( 1)  of seizures of class A drugs by drug type and year, England and Wales 
			  Number of seizures and quantity seized 
			   Class A (weighed kg)( 2) 
			  Drug type  Crack  Heroin 
			 1997 36 539 
			 1998 27 457 
			 1999 41 1,440 
			 2000 26 3,329 
			 2001 55 3,996 
			 2002 54 2,615 
			 2003 251 2,657 
			 2004 133 2,109 
			 2005 49 1,864 
			 2006-07(3,4) 58 1,003 
			 (1) Drugs can be seized in a variety of forms or preparation types. In this table, quantities of drugs have been converted to weights (kg). In order to convert seizures to comparable units, conversion factors are applied to estimate the overall quantity for that drug. New conversion factors were introduced in 2005, in consultation with the Forensic Science Service. (2) Seizures of unspecified quantities are not included. (3) Reporting of drugs seizures have been moved to a financial year basis from 2006-07 to be comparable with other crime publications. (4) Prior to 2006-07 data included seizures made by the National Crime Squad (NCS). This organisation was merged on 1 April 2006 into the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). SOCA figures are not included due to concerns over double counting. Whereas many joint operations between the NCS and police forces were attributed to the NCS, the majority of SOCA seizures are credited to a local police force when one has been involved. 
		
	
	Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces and HM Revenue and Customs. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Drugs: Prices

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the street price of  (a) heroin and  (b) cocaine.

Alan Campbell: Street prices for drugs vary considerably and are dependent on a number of factors, including purity and quality. The following prices are based on data collected from police forces and the Serious Organised Crime Agency:
	 (a) Heroin - from 25 to 100 per gram, with the most common prices being 40 and 50 per gram.
	 (b) Cocaine - from 20 to 80 per gram, with the most common price being 40 per gram.

Drugs: Smuggling

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vessels have been intercepted in British waters by the cutter fleet operated by the UK Border Agency in each of the last five years; and what quantity of drugs have been seized in such operations.

Phil Woolas: From April 2008 the UK Border Agency took on responsibility for maritime operations, which had previously been undertaken by HM Revenue and Customs and were formerly the responsibility of HM Customs and Excise.
	The mobile and flexible cutter fleet, work regularly in support of operations by other law enforcement agencies, in order to target illicit imports of drugs, weapons and other prohibited and restricted goods. Information as to how those vessels have been deployed cannot be disclosed, as this would provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention of crime.

Entry Clearances

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when her Department expects to issue Mr. Emiljano Beqo (FCO number 22920) with a visa via the British Embassy in Athens.

Phil Woolas: Visa officials at the British embassy in Athens are in contact with Mr. Beqo and expect to issue him with a visa when he returns from Albania in early January.

Firearms: Crime

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the extent to which  (a) legally held firearms and  (b) illegally held firearms were used to commit crimes in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: It is not possible to determine how many of the firearms used in recorded crimes are licensed firearms and how many are illegally held. It is not always possible to categorise the type of weapon used in an offence.

Foreign Workers

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 30 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 321-22W, on foreign workers: health services, how many economic migrants were working in each occupational category at the latest date for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: The following tables provide information on the number of work permits approved and Worker Registration Scheme certificates issued by occupation category.
	
		
			  Work permit approvals for the period 1 January 2000 to 30 September 2008 
			  Occupation  Total 
			 Acupuncturist 230 
			 Assistant Dentist 655 
			 Assistant Optometrist 5 
			 Biomedical Scientist 785 
			 Chiropodist/Podiatrist 45 
			 Chiropractor 245 
			 Dental Anaesthetist 45 
			 Dental Nurse 380 
			 Dental Surgeon 1,785 
			 Dietician 350 
			 Doctor 19,435 
			 Foundation Programme Doctor 705 
			 Hospital Consultant 690 
			 Medical Practitioner 2,975 
			 Midwife 780 
			 Nurse 178,305 
			 Occupational Therapist 1,680 
			 Optician 735 
			 Other Health/Medical Occupation 60,845 
			 Pharmacist 5,655 
			 Physiotherapist 2,935 
			 Psychiatrist 1,295 
			 Psychologist 375 
			 Radiographer 3,075 
			 Senior Carer 12,465 
			 Senior House Officer 1,045 
			 Social Worker 5,955 
			 Specialist Registrar 1,000 
			 Speech Therapist 440 
			 Total 304,910 
			  Caveat: Work permit approvals includes all work permit application typesincluding work permit Extensions, Change of Employment and Technical Changes to existing work permits and therefore does not equate to the number of individuals to whom permits were issued. The figures do not equate to the number of individual nationals because they include those applications approved to extend or amend an existing permit or where the individual has moved to another job with a different employer. Additionally, not all of those who are granted a permit take up the job, some may be refused entry clearance or further leave to remain. 
		
	
	
		
			  Worker Registration Scheme certificates granted for the period 1 May 2004 to 30 September 2008 
			  Occupation  Total 
			 Alternative/complementary medicine specialist 30 
			 Anaesthetist 170 
			 Care assistants and home carers 22,765 
			 Chiropodist  
			 Consultant, hospital 255 
			 Dental Hygienist 80 
			 Dental Nurse 420 
			 Dental practitioner 385 
			 Dietician 5 
			 Doctor (hospital) 860 
			 General Practitioner 130 
			 Manager, care home 40 
			 Manager, health and social services 135 
			 Midwife 5 
			 Nurse 425 
			 Nursing auxiliaries and assistants 570 
			 Optician 65 
			 Pharmacist/Pharmacologist 730 
			 Physiologist 10 
			 Physiotherapist 70 
			 Psychiatrist 45 
			 Psychologist 15 
			 Researcher (medical) 430 
			 Residential wardens and Houseparents 285 
			 Social Worker 390 
			 Surgeon 75 
			 Technician, medical 360 
			 Ward Sister 15 
			 Warden (care home) 65 
			 Total 28,840 
			  = Indicates one or two.  Caveats: 1. The figures are for initial applications only; they do not include multiple applications, where an individual is doing more than one job simultaneously nor re-registrations, where an individual has changed employers. 2. Data presented up to the same period as the current published Accession Monitoring report.  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to nearest five. 2. Because of rounding figures may not add up to totals shown. 
		
	
	The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. The occupational categories used are not compatible with the Standard Occupational Classification.

Former Ministers: Security

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which former Ministers continue to receive security protection; and how much it has cost to provide this protection, broken down by individual former Ministers, in each year since they left office.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 15 December 2008
	It is our long established policy not to comment on protective security arrangements (and their associated costs) for any individual. This is because to do so could compromise the integrity of those arrangements and affect the security of the individuals concerned.

Genetics: Databases

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will bring forward proposals to impose time limits on the retention of people's DNA profiles on the national DNA database related to the seriousness of the offence where convicted;
	(2)  if she will bring forward proposals to remove from the national DNA database profiles of people who have not been convicted of an offence.

Alan Campbell: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary mentioned the European Court ruling in her speech on 16 December to the Intellect Trade Association dealing with surveillance issues.
	We are carefully considering the detail of the judgment in the S and Marper case and its implications. DNA is a prime example where benefits to the criminal justice system and the rights of the individual need to be carefully balanced.
	That is why our approach to the European Court's Judgment will be subject to wide consultation this year in a White Paper on Forensics.

Genetics: Databases

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will commission research into the proportion of the  (a) black and  (b) non-black population with DNA samples retained on the national DNA database, and the reasons for any difference in frequency.

Alan Campbell: The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) has completed Stage 1 Equality Impact Assessments (EIA) of the National DNA Database (NDNAD) and the Association of Chief Police Officers DNA Good Practice Guide to identify any potential adverse effects or any bias contained within DNA sampling guidance or NDNAD processes. Copies of the two Stage 1 assessments have been placed in the Library.
	The work undertaken to date on the Stage 1 EIAs suggests that any bias in proportionality of certain groups reflected on the NDNAD is likely to result from over-representation in the criminal justice system as a whole and is not the result of inherent bias in NDNAD processes.
	The Stage 1 EIAs recommend that an analysis be undertaken of DNA subject profiles submitted to the NDNAD by police forces and police force area populations to identify whether any force areas are taking samples and submitting profiles to the NDNAD disproportionately. A working group has been set up to consider and take forward this recommendation. The NPIA is also working on a Stage 2 EIA review process, looking at potential equality issues in greater depth. The Stage 2 assessments will be available in early 2009.

Genetics: Databases

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the performance of  (a) the National DNA Database and  (b) the Independent Safeguarding Authority database.

Alan Campbell: The National DNA Database (NDNAD) is a police intelligence tool which contributes to the efficiency of crime detection. It contributes to detections, eliminates the innocent from inquiries and focuses the direction of inquiries.
	The use of NDNAD saves police time and builds public confidence that offenders may be detected and brought to justice.
	The NDNAD provides the police matches with DNA taken from a person with DNA found at the scene of a crime. Police are now being provided with almost 3,100 matches a month. It is estimated that over the period April 1998 to March 2008, there have been over 272,000 detections in which a DNA match was available. DNA evidence will have contributed to solving many of these crimes, but it is not possible to say whether the DNA match was the key factor in solving the crime.
	Further information on the effectiveness of the NDNAD is available in the latest National DNA Database Annual Report, that for 2006-07, which is available at:
	http://www.npia.police.uk/en/11403.htm
	We have also worked closely with the National Institute of Justice in the United States of America to produce a study on DNA, which can be found at:
	http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/222318.pdf
	The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) maintains a database of information on cases referred by employers under the Protection of Vulnerable Adults, Protection of Children Act, and List 99 barring arrangements, in order to provide advice to Ministers on barring decisions. Any data are held for these purposes. Additional information in respect of these referrals may be sought from the police. When the Authority is fully operational it will also obtain criminal records and other police information from the Criminal Records Bureau. It will also maintain the barred lists in respect of children and vulnerable adults required by the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. No assessment of effectiveness has yet been made, but performance indicators are being developed for the ISA as a whole.

Genetics: Databases

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances an individual's DNA profile may be deleted from the national DNA database.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 15 December 2008
	Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), the police have the power indefinitely to retain profiles on the National DNA Database (NDNAD) derived from samples taken from persons arrested for a recordable offence and detained in a police station, regardless of whether they are charged or convicted.
	While the decision on whether to agree to a request from an individual to have their DNA profile removed from the NDNAD lies with the chief officer of the police force which took the sample, profiles will normally be retained unless there are exceptional circumstances.
	Policy on the retention of DNA and fingerprint records is being reviewed in light of the Judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of S and Marper. The Government will consider their response to the Judgment in conjunction with the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers and a Government White Paper on Forensics will be published next year on proposals to implement the judgment.

Genetics: Databases

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to cease retaining DNA information from people not convicted of a crime.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 16 December 2008
	My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary set out her initial thoughts on the European Court ruling in her speech on 16 December 2008 to the Intellect Trade Association dealing with surveillance issues.
	We are carefully considering the detail of the judgment in the S and Marper case and its implications. DNA is a prime example where benefits to the criminal justice system and the rights of the individual need to be carefully balanced. That is why our approach to the European Court's judgment will be subject to wide consultation this year in a White Paper on Forensics.

Genetics: Databases

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to announce her response to the European Court of Human Rights' judgment in the case of S and Marper.

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the implications of the recent judgement of the European Court of Human Rights on the legality of retaining the DNA records of people who have not been convicted of any crime.

Alan Campbell: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary set out her initial thoughts on the European Court ruling in her speech on 16 December to the Intellect Trade Association dealing with surveillance issues.
	We are carefully considering the detail of the Judgment in the S and Marper case and its implications. DNA is a prime example where benefits to the criminal justice system and the rights of the individual need to be carefully balanced. That is why our approach to the European Court's Judgment will be subject to wide consultation this year in a White Paper on Forensics.

Genetics: Databases

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children in Sussex have profiles recorded on the National DNA Database.

Alan Campbell: At 16 December 2008, the number of profiles on the National DNA Database (NDNAD) relating to persons currently aged under 16 and added by Sussex Police was 3,115. The number relating to persons currently aged under 18 (including those under 16) added by that force was 8,358.
	The NDNAD does not contain any information on the place of residence of a person sampled, so the figures include residents of areas other than Sussex sampled by Sussex Police, and exclude residents of Sussex sampled by other police forces.
	The number of profiles held on the NDNAD is not the same as the number of individuals. As it is possible for a profile to be loaded onto the NDNAD on more than one occasion, some profiles held on the NDNAD are replicates. This can occur, for example, if the person provided different names, or different versions of their name, on separate arrests, or because profiles are upgraded. At present, the average replication rate on the whole NDNAD is 13.3 per cent. However, this figure may vary between police forces.

Human Rights: Training

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy to allocate officials trained in the context of human rights work to the consideration of applications for visas from human rights defenders seeking entry to the UK on official business; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Decisions on entry clearance applications made at UK Missions are determined by entry clearance officers who have undertaken a course of training which covers the Human Rights Act and its bearing on entry clearance decisions. All decisions are made in accordance with the Immigration Rules (HC395).

Human Trafficking: Children

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the number of children illegally trafficked into the UK.

Alan Campbell: A recent Government estimate was published in the Impact Assessment for the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against trafficking in Human Beings, laid before Parliament on 7 October 2008. This estimates that 360 children are trafficked each year into and within the UK.

Human Trafficking: Prostitution

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent research she has commissioned on the links between prostitution and trafficking.

Alan Campbell: To inform the Government's Tackling the Demand for Prostitution: A Review, the Home Office commissioned research from the child and woman abuse studies unit at London Metropolitan university which compared prostitution regimes across nine countries. This considered the impact of trafficking on the development of these regimes and the effect of each regime on levels of trafficking. We also commissioned a Rapid Evidence Assessment to look at existing research on the demand for prostitution. This considered the extent to which trafficking contributed to the demand for prostitution and the effect of different approaches to tackling demand on levels of trafficking. These reports will be published this year.

Human Trafficking: Victims

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the immigration status is of the 167 victims of human trafficking recovered during Operation Pentameter 2.

Alan Campbell: The reluctance of many victims to accept third sector support and co-operate with the authorities made accurate assessment of immigration status difficult. But we know 60 were EU nationals and five others had indefinite leave to remain in the UK. 36 adult victims are recorded as having returned home voluntarily, including some EU nationals. A further 16 adults were removed using immigration powers. Of the remainder, a number ceased to cooperate at a very early stage while others lodged applications to remain in the UK.

Human Trafficking: Victims

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what protection is made available to trafficked persons following the conviction of those responsible for their trafficking.

Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government's victim protection measures are not dependent on a conviction. We currently fund the Poppy project to provide specialist support to adult victims of these crimes. Victims are provided with unconditional intensive support for four weeks, with longer-term services provided in return for co-operation with a criminal investigation. The TARA project is funded to provide similar support services in Scotland. We also offer victims support with resettlement in their home country or within the United Kingdom where eligible. A victim whose safety is seriously at risk as a result of giving evidence may be placed in a police witness protection programme. Victims can also apply for asylum and humanitarian protection where appropriate.
	We have ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against the Trafficking in Human Beings which will come into force in April 2009. This will see the introduction of a 45 day reflection period where victims can consider their future options and one-year temporary resident permits, both of which can be extended in certain circumstances. Each case will have to be considered on its individual merits. The new measures are intended to compliment the asylum and humanitarian procedures and for many victims that may remain the most appropriate avenue of protection.

Hunting: Prosecutions

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) charges,  (b) prosecutions,  (c) convictions,  (d) cautions and  (e) fines there have been for breaches of the Hunting Act 2004 in each police force area since its enactment.

Alan Campbell: Data provided by the Ministry of Justice showing the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty and fined at all courts, for offences under the 2004 Hunting Act, in England and Wales, broken down by police force area from 2005 to 2007, are in table 1. Charging data are not collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice.
	Data showing the number of offenders cautioned for offences under the 2004 Hunting Act in England and Wales, broken down by police force area from 2005 to 2007 are in table 2.
	The Hunting Act came into force on 18 February 2005.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty and fined at all courts, for offences under the 2004 Hunting Act, England and Wales, broken down by police force area, 2005( 1)  to 2007( 2,3,4) 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty  Fined 
			  Force  2005  2006  2007  2005  2006  2007  2005  2006  2007 
			 Avon and Somerset   2   2   2 
			 Cheshire  2 1  2 1  2 1 
			 Cleveland   1   1   1 
			 Derbyshire   2   2   2 
			 Durham  1
			 Essex  4   3   3  
			 Hampshire   4   4
			 Humberside  4 8   8   7 
			 Lancashire   2   2   2 
			 Lincolnshire   7   7   7 
			 Merseyside 1  25 1  19 1  17 
			 Northumbria   6   
			 Suffolk   2   1   1 
			 Thames Valley 2   2   2   
			 North Wales   2   1   1 
			 England and Wales 3 11 62 3 5 48 3 5 41 
			 (1) The 2004 Hunting Act came into force on 18 February 2005. (2) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Only police force areas (PFAs) with data have been included in the tableif a PFA has not been included assume nil data. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of offenders cautioned( 1)  under the 2004 Hunting Act, England and Wales, broken down by police force area, 2005( 2)  to 2007( 3,4,5) 
			  Force  2005  2006  2007 
			 Kent   2 
			 Merseyside   3 
			 North Yorkshire   1 
			 Northumbria 1  1 
			 Thames Valley   1 
			 Total 1 0 8 
			 (1) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and final warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (2) The 2004 Hunting Act came into force on 18 February 2005. (3) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (5) Only police force areas (PFAs) with data have been included in the tableif a PFA has not been included assume nil data.

Identity Cards: Criminal Records

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to extend the requirement for airside workers to undergo basic criminal record checks in order to have an identity card to the rest of the population; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: There are no current plans to extend the requirement to obtain an identity card that is proposed for airside workers, to all people who need a criminal record check.
	The Identity Cards Act secondary legislation consultation paper, published on 21 November 2008, set out the planned roll out of identity cards under the National Identity scheme as follows:
	25 November 2008the first foreign nationals (excluding European Economic Area nationals), started to be issued with identity cards by the Home Office, UK Border Agency. This initially covers foreign nationals who apply for an extension of their stay in the United Kingdom as students or as the husbands, wives or partners of permanent residents.
	Autumn 2009the first identity cards will start to be issued to airside workers and a limited number of volunteers from the general public. These will be the first identity cards issued to British citizens and European Economic Area nationals and will be issued by the Home Office, Identity and Passport Service;
	2010Identity Cards will continue to be available on a voluntary basis, but in particular to young people in a specified area to assist them in proving their identity;
	2012Identity cards will start to be issued in high volumes to British citizens, with adults applying for passports being offered the choice of an identity card or passport or both.

Immigrants: Social Security Benefits

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what entitlements to  (a) NHS treatment,  (b) social security benefits,  (c) housing and  (d) other services will be withdrawn from immigrants and other non-UK citizens by proposed legislation and measures under her Department's responsibility as set out in the Gracious Speech.

Phil Woolas: We intend to introduce the Bill in the current session. Details will be confirmed in the Bill.

Immigration

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in  (a) Bexley,  (b) London and  (c) England applied for leave to remain in the UK outside of immigration rules in each of the last five years; and how many did not have valid leave to remain at the time of their application.

Phil Woolas: The following table shows the number of applications made each year, over the last five years for leave to remain in the United Kingdom outside of the Immigration Rules.
	It is not possible to provide extract data on the number of applicants who did not have valid leave at the time of their application.
	
		
			  Applications raised during each year 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  Total 
			 England 21,595 23,540 22,420 28,210 25,485 22,300 143,550 
			 London 8,940 9,350 8,205 9,685 9,415 7,835 53,430 
			 Bexley 90 115 100 95 145 110 655 
			  Notes: Figures are rounded to nearest five and are in respect of main applicants. Because of rounding figures may not add up to totals shown. The figures quoted are not provided under national statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

Immigration

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for the time taken to deal with the application for indefinite leave to remain of the constituent of the hon. Member for Torbay (Home Office reference: B2192246).

Phil Woolas: I wrote to the hon. Member on 22 December 2008.

Immigration

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason her Department  (a) has yet to make a decision on the immigration case of Mr W. H. of Aylesbury (reference: J1019588) following the representations from his solicitors on 20 October 2006 and  (b) was unable, in its letter to the hon. Member for Aylesbury of 4 December 2008, to indicate any timescale for a decision.

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency has yet to make a decision in this case and was unable to give any timescale for a decision in its letter to you of 4 December because the case does not fall into one of the priorities for conclusion.
	The UK Border Agency will prioritise those individuals who may pose a risk to the public and then focus on those who can more easily be removed, those receiving support and those where it is likely that a decision will be made to allow the individual to remain in the UK. All cases will be dealt with on their individual merits and in accordance with these priorities.
	Every effort is being made to deal with all cases as efficiently as possible and your constituent will be contacted via his representative as soon as a decision has been made on his case.

Immigration: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were awaiting determination in respect of applications for indefinite leave to remain in postal areas  (a) PE1,  (b) PE2,  (c) PE3 and  (d) PE4 in each quarter since May 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 12 January 2009
	 This information is not centrally recorded and could be obtained at only disproportionate cost.

Members: Correspondence

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 2214W, on anti-semitism, when she plans to write to the hon. Member for Southend West; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: I wrote to the hon. Member for Southend West on 10 December 2008.

Migration Advisory Committee

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff are employed in organising the Migration Advisory Committee; and what estimate she has made of the Committee's running costs in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11.

Phil Woolas: The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) itself consists of five members and two ex-officio members. The MAC is supported by a secretariat of 10 staff, nine of which are full-time and one part-time.
	The MAC was awarded funding of 1.5 million for 2008-09, of which 670,000 was allocated for pay and allowances for committee and secretariat, and the majority of the remainder for research. The MAC's budget is set by the UK Border Agency. The UK Border Agency is currently reviewing plans and forecasts for 2009-10 and 2010-11 and we are unable to provide this information until these plans have been finalised and agreed by the UK Border Agency Board.

National Identity Register

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) methodologies and  (b) technology she plans to specify to secure the accuracy of amendments to the National Identity Register; and what accuracy rate is to be specified.

Meg Hillier: While there may be a need to make some corrections to the National Identity Register if information is found to have been recorded incorrectly, the majority of amendments will be at the request of the individual concerned and based on information that they have provided in relation to changes in their identity details, such as changes of name or address.
	It is intended that secure remote authentication and biometric verification systems will be in place to verify an individual's identity when an amendment is requested by an individual to his or her record on the National Identity Register. The Identity and Passport Service is in the process of procuring the systems that will enable the establishment of this service and the details and accuracy of these systems will depend on the final design proposed by the successful bidder.

National Retail Crime Steering Group

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the National Retail Crime Steering Group has met.

Alan Campbell: The National Retail Crime Steering Group was set up last year, following meetings between the then Director-General of the British Retail Consortium and my hon. Friend the Minister for Security, Counter-Terrorism, Crime and Policing (Mr. Coaker), to discuss the crime issues affecting the retail sector. The Group met for the first time on 24 July 2007, and has since met on 27 Feb 2008, and 12 November 2008. The Group meets twice a year.

Nurses: Zimbabwe

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits have been issued to  (a) doctors and  (b) nurses from Zimbabwe since 1 January 2008.

Phil Woolas: The following table provides information on work permits issued to Zimbabwean nationals. The figures relate to work permit applications granted both at initial consideration stage and those successful on review, for the period 1 January 2008 to 30 November 2008.
	 Caveats:
	The term 'work permit application' includes all work permit application typesincluding work permit extensions, change of employment and technical changes to existing work permitsand therefore does not equate to the number of individuals to whom permits were issued.
	The term doctors/nurses refers to the occupation description containing the word 'nurse' or 'doctor'; and excludes persons admitted under the Highly Skilled Migrant programme or the points-based system.
	These figures include applications made both in and out of country.
	
		
			  Nationality  Doctor  Nurses  Total 
			 Zimbabwe 10 1,100 1,110 
			 Total 10 1,100 1,110 
			  Note: Figures are rounded to nearest 5. Because of rounding figures may not add up to totals shown. 
		
	
	The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

Offensive Weapons

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people aged  (a) 16 and under,  (b) between 17 and 18,  (c) between 18 and 21 and (d) 21 years were arrested for carrying firearms in (i) Stockport Metropolitan Borough, (ii) Greater Manchester and (iii) the North West in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many people aged  (a) 16 and under , (b) between 17 and 18,  (c) between 18 and 21 and  (d) 21 years were arrested for carrying knives in (i) Stockport Metropolitan Borough, (ii) Greater Manchester and (iii) the North West in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The main arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and robbery. From these centrally reported data we are not able to identify specific offences from within the main offence groups.
	Under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and section and 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 police have the power of stop and search for offensive weapons and firearms. Information on the number of arrests as a result of the use of these powers for possession of firearms and offensive weapons (which includes knives) is provided in the following table.
	The figures reported to the Home Office on section 1 of PACE cannot separately identify searches for knives from the category of 'offensive weapons' reported to the Home Office. Additionally, the figures presented on arrests as a result of searches under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 include arrests for possession of firearms, knives and other offensive weapons, but cannot separately identify the article found. Figures for arrests as a result of stops and searches do not identify the age of offenders.
	The data reported to the Home Office are at police force area level only therefore information on arrests in Stockport metropolitan borough is not available.
	
		
			  Arrests as a result of searches of persons or vehicles under selected sections of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and other legislation, selected areas by reason for arrest 
			  Area/reason for search  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006 - 07 
			  Stops and searches under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 
			  Firearms  
			 Greater Manchester 59 67 90 144 123 
			 North West Region 125 134 196 237 236 
			   
			  Offensive weapons  
			 Greater Manchester 454 380 487 440 502 
			 North West Region 1,112 987 1,309 1,253 1,675 
			   
			  Stops and searches in anticipation of violence under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994( 1) 
			  Offensive weapons  
			 Greater Manchester 37 37 36 4 9 
			 North West Region 76 68 49 56 55 
			 (1) Data on searches under this legislation reported to the Home Office includes all offensive weapons and dangerous instruments but does not separately identify the article that was found.

Offensive Weapons: Teesside

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to address gun and knife crime in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.

Alan Campbell: We are fully committed to tackling gun and knife crime through responsive policing, tough powers and funding for prevention projects. We published a Practical Guide on tackling gangs for local partners and a guide to parents to help prevent their child getting involved in gangs.
	In summer 2008, we launched a 3 million three-year national anti-knife crime campaign aimed at mothers and young people, and have extended the expectation to prosecute nationally. A significantly higher percentage of those who get caught carrying a knife are being sent to prison, and a significantly higher percentage are getting more intensive community payback.
	The Government's new 100 million Youth Crime Action plan launched on 15 June includes new measures which supports work to tackle knives, reflecting a triple-track approach of tough enforcement, intensive support and better prevention.

Official Residences

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 10 November 2008,  Official Report, column 823W, on Ministers: official residences, if she will place in the Library a copy of the home information pack for the property at South Eaton Place; how much the pack cost; and whether a home condition report was purchased as part of the pack.

Phil Woolas: A copy of the pack was placed in the Library on 11 December 2008. Preparation of the pack incurred 298.00 plus VAT in legal fees and 309.00 in statutory disbursements. The fee for the energy performance certificate is still to be invoiced but it is an estimated 100 plus VAT. There was no requirement for a home condition report.

Police Cautions

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases of  (a) violence against the person , (b) sexual offences,  (c) robbery,  (d) burglary,  (e) theft,  (f) fraud and forgery, (g) criminal damage and  (h) drugs offences police cautions were given in each of the last five years; and what proportion of such cases were first offences.

Alan Campbell: Information provided by the Ministry of Justice showing the number of offenders cautioned for selected offence groups in England and Wales, from 2003 to 2007, are in the following table.
	It is not possible to identify, from the information on cautions reported to the Ministry of Justice, how many of these cautions were for first offences.
	
		
			  Number of offenders( 1)  cautioned( 2)  for Violence Against the Person, Sexual Offences, Burglary, Robbery, Theft and Handling Stolen Goods, Fraud and Forgery, Criminal Damage and Drug Offences, England and Wales, 2003 to 2007( 3,4) 
			  Offence type  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Violence against the person 28,760 36,610 51,020 57,273 52,335 
			 Sexual offences 1,359 1,553 1,761 1,922 1,966 
			 Burglary 5,568 5,604 6,451 7,687 6,972 
			 Robbery 422 451 622 712 614 
			 Theft and handling stolen goods 54,466 61,943 67,619 72,369 72,790 
			 Fraud and forgery 5,484 6,033 6,936 8,024 8,587 
			 Criminal damage 3,726 5,495 7,246 9,018 8,813 
			 Drug offences 45,706 32,620 34,390 37,426 43,050 
			 Total 145,491 150,309 176,045 194,431 195,127 
			 (1) Includes other offenders i.e. companies, public bodies etc. (2) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and final warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (3) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: E and A UnitOffice for Criminal Justice Reform

Police: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms are in place to ensure that information kept by Essex Police is  (a) accurate and up-to-date and  (b) kept securely; what recent discussions she has had with the Chief Constable of Essex Police on this; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: These issues are a matter for the Essex police authority.

Police: ICT

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding her Department  (a) spent on and  (b) committed to the police portal; why the police portal was withdrawn; what plans she has to introduce a secure online reporting system for use by police forces; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The police portal provided a national communications channel for the police service. It was procured in January 2001 and the total annual cost of running this service was just under 2 million per annum.
	There is no budget for the portal service in 2008-09 or 2009-10 and no staff are currently employed to maintain this website. This is because the police portal service ceased on 31 March 2007 when the contract with the service provider expired.
	Although good use was made of the police portal services in some areas, the running costs increased in 2007-08 as a result of technical difficulties in the delivery of the replacement portal service. The Association of Chief Police Officers took the view that there was insufficient demand for this service to justify these increased costs.
	There are no plans to reinstate the police portal at the current time, but a number of police forces have introduced online reporting facilities on their existing websites.

Police: Legal Advice

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance is given to police on the application of  (a) section 62 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 and  (b) Articles 10 and 11 of the Human Rights Act 1998.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister issued joint guidance on effective use of enforcement powers to deal with unauthorised encampments in February 2006, including the application of section 62 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003.
	The Human Rights Act is embedded throughout all aspects of training and guidance given to police officers.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national prisoners held under immigration detention powers were held in  (a) prison and  (b) the immigration detention estate as at 1 December 2008.

Phil Woolas: On 1 December 2008 there were 526 ex-foreign national prisoners held in prison and 1,175 held in the UK Border Agency's detention estate.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national prisoners held under immigration powers in the immigration detention estate on 1 December 2008 had been given  (a) a custodial sentence of more than four years,  (b) a conviction for importation of class A drugs,  (c) a conviction for a serious violent offence and  (d) a conviction for a sexual offence that required them to be placed on the Sex Offender Register.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is not centrally collated and can be obtained only by conducting checks on each foreign national prisoner held in detention under immigration powers using the Police National Computer in order to identify the full range of offences each individual may have been convicted of.
	The chief executive of the UK Border Agency has written to the Home Affairs Select Committee on a regular basis in order to provide all of the most robust and accurate information available. In her most recent letter of 8 December she advised the Committee that the agency had removed over 1,400 drug offenders, 30 killers, 12 attempted killers and more than 230 sex offenders. A copy of this letter is available in the Library of the House.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many foreign national prisoners with  (a) custodial sentences of more than four years,  (b) a conviction for importation of class A drugs,  (c) a conviction for a serious violent offence and  (d) a conviction for a sexual offence that required them to be placed on the Sex Offender Register have been granted immigration bail in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many foreign national prisoners have been released into the community directly from Asylum and Immigration Tribunal hearings in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many foreign national prisoners held under immigration detention powers have been granted bail in each of the last 10 years.

Phil Woolas: Information relating to the numbers of foreign national prisoners subject to deportation action who have completed their custodial sentence and been released on bail is not centrally collated at present. In order to provide the information requested it would be necessary to examine individual case files at disproportionate cost.
	When a foreign criminal who is subject to deportation action is granted bail by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal and it is believed that the individual presents a risk of harm to the public, the UK Border Agency will always request that the tribunal impose the most robust restrictions possible in order to minimise the likelihood that the individual will reoffend.
	The agency will continue to pursue deportation action against such individuals and is on track to not only meet but exceed its target of deportation or removing 5,000 foreign criminals in 2008.

Prostitution

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she intends to make changes to the legal status of brothels.

Alan Campbell: We do not intend to make changes to the legal status of brothels.

Prostitution

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration her Department has given to research on the likely effects of criminalising prostitution in preparing the Crime and Policing Bill.

Alan Campbell: We do not intend to criminalise prostitution and have not considered the likely effects of doing so. The Government's 'Tackling the Demand for Prostitution: A Review' considered the most effective way of reducing the demand for prostitution and as a result of its findings we intend to include the offence of paying for sexual services of a prostitute controlled for gain in the forthcoming Policing and Crime Bill.

Prostitution

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the average age of those first entering into prostitution.

Alan Campbell: The Government's consultation paper on prostitution, Paying the Price, provides a summary of research on the age of first involvement in prostitution. This paper is available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/paying_the_price.pdf?view=Binary.

Refugee Integration and Employment Service

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much she expects the Refugee Integration and Employment Service will cost to run in 2008-09 and in each of the following two years; how many staff are engaged in running the service; how many will be so engaged in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The cost of the Refugee Integration and Employment Service (RIES) is volume-driven and take-up is voluntary therefore we are unable to provide an exact indication of what it may cost in this and subsequent financial years. However, we do not believe that the cost will exceed 10 million per annum. As of the end of November 2008 approximately 300,000 had been paid to providers by UKBA during 2008-09.
	RIES is delivered through regional contracts by external organisations who are paid on a price per head basis to deliver the service therefore we do not have records of the number of staff providing the service. This is a matter for the service providers themselves.

Repatriation

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 18 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 318-19W, on deportation, how her Department establishes that a person has left the UK without informing the immigration authorities; and how many people so recorded subsequently have been found to have been in the United Kingdom illegally in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 16 December 2008
	The Department establishes that a person has left the UK without informing the immigration authorities via:
	Manual embarkation operations at UK ports
	Data matching visa applications made at British Missions overseas
	Data matching incoming/departing passenger and flight data recorded under the e-Borders programme (Semaphore)
	The information requested on how many people have subsequently been found to have been in the UK illegally in each of the last five years could only be obtained by the detailed examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.

Risk Analysis UK

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what use her Department has made of  (a) private investigators and  (b) Risk Analysis UK Ltd since May 2005.

Phil Woolas: From best available records the Home Department inclusive of its Agencies has had no contracts with private investigators or with Risk Analysis UK Ltd since May 2005.

Security Guards: Licensing

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Security Investment Authority will conduct its cost-benefit assessment on the potential requirement for licence holders to provide evidence that they have kept their competency up-to-date when applying for a renewal of their licence.

Alan Campbell: The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is working on an assessment of the costs and benefits of the introduction of a requirement for licence holders, including door supervisors, to provide evidence that they have kept their competency up to date, when applying for licence renewal. If it is decided that this proposal merits further development, a public consultation would be undertaken before any amendments are made to the SIA's competency framework for the issue of licences.

Serious and Organised Crime Agency: Standards

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what performance targets have been set by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency in respect of its asset recovery function following recommendation (b) of the National Audit Office report on the Assets Recovery Agency.

Alan Campbell: The performance targets set for 2008-09 in relation to asset recovery functions transferred from the Assets Recovery Agency to the Serious Organised Crime Agency are to recover 16 million of assets in civil recovery cases and enforce 4 million of confiscation orders from ARA legacy criminal cases.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases the Serious and Organised Crime Agency agreed to adopt from other law enforcement agencies for investigation in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) the UK in the first six months of this financial year.

Alan Campbell: The majority of the Serious Organised Crime Agency's operational activity falls within the scope of the United Kingdom Serious Organised Crime Control Strategy, and is planned and executed in collaboration with one or more partner agency, including other law enforcement agencies from the UK and overseas. In addition to this work within the Control Strategy, SOCA provides a range of support activities for partners, principally UK law enforcement agencies, some routinely and others on request. While all of SOCA's operational work is centrally tasked, there is no single referral and adoption system.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases the Serious and Organised Crime Agency completed in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) the UK in the first six months of 2008-09; what the value of the assets recovered in those cases was; how many of those cases related to work inherited from the Assets Recovery Agency; and what the value of assets recovered in such inherited cases was.

Alan Campbell: The Serious Organised Crime Agency closed 75 operations and projects in the first six months of this financial year. SOCA operational activity is often multi-faceted with concurrent activity across the UK and internationally, these figures are therefore not available on a regional basis.
	Data relating to cases transferred from the Assets Recovery Agency to SOCA are not collated in the form requested.
	Figures relating to SOCA's UK-wide performance for the financial year 2008-09, including performance on asset recovery, will be included in SOCA's Annual Report for 2008-09, when published.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how long on average it took for the Serious and Organised Crime Agency to decide whether to adopt cases referred to it in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) nationwide in the first six months of 2008-09;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the value of assets in those cases which the Serious and Organised Crime Agency has declined to adopt in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) the UK in the first six months of 2008-09;
	(3)  how many of the cases referred to the Serious and Organised Crime Agency the agency declined to adopt in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) nationwide in the first six months of this financial year; and what the reasons were for declining in each case.

Alan Campbell: While the Serious Organised Crime Agency does not operate a formal referral and adoption system with all its law enforcement counterparts SOCA will normally make decisions on initiating new activity within two weeks of a proposal. There are other arrangements in place where time critical decisions are required. To make any comment on the reasons for not progressing proposals may prejudice the outcome of any subsequent investigation. SOCA does not collate information on estimated values of assets in declined cases.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many criminal investigations the Serious and Organised Crime Agency inherited from its predecessor organisations;
	(2)  in how many of the cases inherited by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency upon its establishment prosecutions had already been initiated;
	(3)  in how many cases inherited by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) in which prosecutions had been initiated before SOCA adopted the case those prosecutions proceedings have now been completed.

Alan Campbell: Under the Transfer Scheme, SOCA inherited 162 ongoing operations and projects from its predecessor agencies on 1 April 2006 encompassing a range of UK and international civil and criminal investigative responses. An additional 74 operations involving criminal prosecutions were already at court on 1 April 2006 and at least 65 of these have now been completed.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many of the cases which the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) inherited from other law enforcement agencies in which prosecution proceedings had been initiated prior to SOCA's adoption of the case relate to investigations for the purpose of criminal confiscation;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the value of assets restrained in those cases which the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) inherited from other law enforcement agencies and in which prosecutions proceedings had been initiated before SOCA adopted the case;
	(3)  in how many cases inherited from other law enforcement agencies by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) in which prosecution proceedings had been initiated before SOCA adopted the case criminal confiscation orders have been granted;
	(4)  how much money has been recovered to date by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) from cases it inherited from other law enforcement agencies in which prosecutions had been initiated before SOCA adopted the case; and what the value of criminal confiscation orders issued in relation to such cases is;
	(5)  in how many of the cases inherited by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) in which prosecutions had been initiated previously assets had been restrained before adoption by SOCA.

Alan Campbell: The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) does not collate this level of detail regarding cases or operations inherited from precursor agencies, as there would be no operational value and some cost in doing so. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost (through manual collation from case files).
	Details relating to SOCA performance in the first two years of its operation, including results contributing to asset recovery targets, are reported on in the SOCA annual reports for 2006-07 and 2007-08. Figures relating to SOCA's performance for the financial year 2008-09 are subject to internal validation and will be included in SOCA's annual report for 2008-09, when published.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) financial investigators and  (b) lawyers were employed by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency solely on assets recovery work in (i) the UK and (ii) Northern Ireland on 30 September 2008.

Alan Campbell: On 30 September, 2008, the Serious Organised Crime Agency employed 230 financial investigators working in the UK on tackling criminal finances and profits, including through asset recovery, and 22 lawyers in the UK who were dedicated to civil asset recovery work. SOCA is a UK-wide agency and as such staff from across the organisation work on particular pieces of activity.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) financial investigators and  (b) lawyers devoted to criminal confiscation work were employed in the Serious and Organised Crime Agency on 31 March 2008.

Alan Campbell: On 31 March 2008, the Serious Organised Crime Agency employed 181 financial investigators on tackling criminal finances and profits, including through asset recovery. Their work covered both criminal confiscation work and money-laundering investigations.
	On 31 March 2008, seven SOCA lawyers were involved in criminal investigations, although none was dedicated to this. SOCA lawyers were not involved in criminal confiscation work at this time.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what targets relating to  (a) the UK and  (b) Northern Ireland have been set for the Serious and Organised Crime Agency in 2008-09 in terms of (i) the number of criminal confiscation cases initiated, (ii) the number of those cases in which criminal assets will be restrained, (iii) the projected value of those assets, (iv) the number of cases in which action to recover assets by civil recovery or taxation is planned to be initiated and (v) the projected value of assets to be restrained through such actions; and what progress has been made against those targets to date.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office has set the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) targets for 2008-09 of:
	6 million cash forfeited;
	46 million confiscation, including 4 million of orders enforced from criminal casework inherited from ARA;
	16 million civil recovery.
	SOCA is a UK-wide agency and no Northern Ireland-specific targets have been set for SOCA by the Home Office.
	The Organised Crime Task Force has set a Northern Ireland target for 2008-09 of total criminal assets recovered (net of costs) in the range of 6.2 million to 10.0 million. SOCA will contribute to the achievement of this target through its work in the region.
	Figures for SOCA's UK-wide performance on asset recovery for the financial year 2008-09 are still subject to internal validation and will be included in its annual report for 2008-09, when published.

Serious Organised Crime Agency: Assets Recovery Agency

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases were transferred by the Assets Recovery Agency to the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) on 31 March 2008 in which proceedings for civil recovery or taxation had been initiated in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) the UK; what the estimated value of the assets restrained in those cases was; how many of those cases related to (i) oils and (ii) tobacco fraud; and what the value of assets was in (A) oil and (B) tobacco fraud cases so transferred.

Alan Campbell: Data relating to the transfer of cases over from the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) were not collated to this level of detail, as there would be no operational value and some cost in doing so. 147 civil recovery operations and 38 tax operations were opened as a result of the transfer of cases from ARA to SOCA. Further relevant information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost (through manual collation from case files).

Serious Organised Crime Agency: Assets Recovery Agency

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases were transferred by the Assets Recovery Agency to the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) on 31 March 2008 in which an action or investigation for criminal confiscation of assets had been initiated  (a) in Northern Ireland and  (b) in the UK; what the estimated value of the assets restrained in those cases was; in how many such investigations SOCA has obtained a confiscation order; and what the value of assets affected by such order is.

Alan Campbell: Data relating to the transfer of cases from the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) to SOCA were not collated to this level of detail, as there would be no operational value and some cost in doing so. 29 criminal confiscation operations were opened as a result of the transfer of cases from ARA. Some operations may include multiple ARA cases relating to the same subject. Further relevant information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost (through manual collation from case files).
	Figures for SOCA's UK-wide performance on asset recovery for the financial year 2008-09 are subject to internal validation and will be included in its annual report for 2008-09, when published.

Serious Organised Crime Agency: Northern Ireland

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency for its work on assets recovery in Northern Ireland is in 2008-09.

Alan Campbell: SOCA is a UK-wide organisation and does not set budgets on a regional basis. No separate budget, therefore, exists for asset recovery in Northern Ireland.

Stop and Search

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many stop-and-searches were carried out under  (a) section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and  (b) section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent between 30 July and 14 August 2008:
	(2)  how many stop-and-searches were carried out under  (a) section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and  (b) section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 in Deansgate Golf Course Car Park in Kent between 30 July and 14 August 2008.

Alan Campbell: The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally.
	Data on arrests reported to the Home Office are not broken down below police force area level.

Surveillance: Local Authorities

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1374W, on surveillance: local authorities, how many of the determinations made in relation to the 554 complaints resulted in the complaint being upheld  (a) wholly and  (b) in part.

Vernon Coaker: Information on the number of complaints made and upheld is given in the published annual reports of the Interception of Communications Commissioner and the Intelligences Services Commissioner. These published reports show that since 2005 the Investigatory Powers Tribunal has made a determination in favour of two complainants who lodged a joint complaint.

UK Border Agency: Manpower

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff at the UK Border Agency are engaged in delivering the Agency's third strategic objective; where such staff are based; and what forecast she has made of the costs that will be incurred by the Agency in working towards this objective in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11.

Phil Woolas: UKBA objective 3 We will implement fast and fair decisions is substantially delivered by the Immigration Group within UKBA. It is not possible to provide the costs of delivering this objective in isolation as the group also contributes significantly to the other strategic objectives of the agency. The total number of staff employed within the group at the end of November 2008 was 10,200 and these are based throughout the UK.
	Forecasts for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are not yet available. UKBA is currently reviewing plans and forecast for 2009-10 and 2010-11 and we are unable to provide this information until these plans have been finalised by the UKBA Board.
	The operating cost budget for the financial year 2008-09 is as follows:
	
		
			  Expenditure  Budget 2008-09  ( million) 
			 Pay 320 
			 Staff related costs 10 
			 Other operating costs 50 
			 Total 380

UK Border Agency: Manpower

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff are responsible for managing the Gateway resettlement programme; what estimate she has made of the cost of the Gateway project in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: 17.5 FTE UK Border Agency staff are responsible for managing the Gateway Protection Programme.
	As of November 2008, UKBA has spent approximately 3.7 million on the project during 2008-09. The budget for 2008-09 stands at 9.48 million. This programme is currently match-funded under the European Refugee Fund 2008.
	UKBA is currently reviewing plans and forecasts for 2009-10 and 2010-11 and we are unable to provide this information until these plans have been finalised and agreed by the UKBA Board.

UK Border Agency: Manpower

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff are responsible for  (a) managing citizenship applications and  (b) developing citizenship policy; and what estimate she has made of the cost of employing these staff in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11.

Phil Woolas: The Nationality Group deals with citizenship applications and is based in Liverpool, north-west region.
	 (a) The number of staff responsible for managing citizenship applications are currently the full-time equivalent of 333.68 (as at 30 November).
	 (b) The number of staff responsible for developing citizenship policy is six, and they are not included in the number above.
	 (c) The estimated costs of employing these staff in 2008.09 are 6.74 million. For 2009-10 and 2010-11 UKBA is currently reviewing plans and forecasts for these years and is therefore unable to provide this information until these plans have been finalised and agreed by the UKBA Board.

UK Border Agency: Manpower

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff are employed in the Case Resolution Directorate; and what estimate she has made of the Directorate's running costs in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11.

Phil Woolas: The Case Resolution Directorate currently employs 940 staff at a cost in 2008-09 of 28.2 million. Estimates of running costs for the years 2009-10 and 2010-11 are not available because the UK Border Agency is currently finalising its business plan for next year.

UK Border Agency: Manpower

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff are employed in processing asylum applications; and what estimate she has made of the costs of employing these staff in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11.

Phil Woolas: There are currently 354 full-time equivalent case owners who are responsible for the end to end processing of new asylum applications in regional teams. An additional 173 full-time equivalent presenting officers are involved in asylum appeals. These figures do not include staff in screening units, or other staff connected with elements of asylum processing such as support team staff, managers, senior caseworkers, immigration officers and those working in the non-suspensive appeal process. They also exclude staff working in the Case Resolution Directorate, for which a separate answer has been prepared.
	We do not collate cost information relating to asylum process staff on the level required. UKBA is currently reviewing plans and forecasts for 2009-10 and 2010-11 for consideration by the UK Border Agency Board.

UK Border Agency: Manpower

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff are involved in running the Family Naturalisation Process; and what estimate she has made of the running costs of the programme in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11.

Phil Woolas: The British Nationality Act makes provision for the acquisition of British citizenship through naturalisation or registration. All applications for British citizenship are considered by the UKBA Nationality Group and there is no separate process for naturalising families.

Workers Registration Scheme: North East

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have registered under the workers registration scheme in each local authority area in the North East.

Phil Woolas: The Worker Registration Scheme (WRS) publish the information requested on the local government website:
	www.lga.gov.uk
	and the following page:
	www.lga.gov.uk/lga/core/page.do?pageId=1095225.
	Local Government Association Analysis and Research (LGAAR) has negotiated and secured access to local authority level WRS data from the UK Border Agency. Access to the local authority data is restricted to local authorities and other Government users who register on this site with a '.gov.uk' email address.